President Trump reportedly plans to announce that the United States will now refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf (or the Gulf of Arabia.)
According to U.S. officials, President Trump will announce the name-change during his upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia next week.
Trump to announce that the U.S. will refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf, officials sayhttps://t.co/nZSKZ9o84j pic.twitter.com/tOOPIOuzPp
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) May 7, 2025
While President Trump can’t force other countries to also adopt the new name for this gulf, he can officially change it in America.
And, it does send a huge message — particularly to Iran — as to where America stands.
Arab nations have been lobbying for this change since the 1960s.
As you may recall, during his first term, President Trump referred to the body of water as the Arabian Gulf, and Iran’s president wasn’t too happy about it.
AP News has more:
President Donald Trump plans to announce while on his trip to Saudi Arabia next week that the U.S. will now refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia, two U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Arab nations have pushed for a change to the geographic name of the body of water off the southern coast of Iran, while Iran has maintained its historic ties to the gulf.
The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. The White House and National Security Council didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
The Persian Gulf has been widely known by that name since the 16th century, although usage of “Gulf of Arabia” and “Arabian Gulf” is dominant in many countries in the Middle East. The government of Iran — formerly Persia — threatened to sue Google in 2012 over the company’s decision not to label the body of water at all on its maps.
On Google Maps in the U.S., the body of water appears as Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf). Apple Maps only says the Persian Gulf.
The U.S. military for years has unilaterally referred to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf in statements and images it releases.
The name of the body of water has become an emotive issue for Iranians who embrace their country’s long history as the Persian Empire. A spat developed in 2017 during Trump’s first term when he used the name Arabian Gulf for the waterway. Iran’s president at the time, Hassan Rouhani, suggested Trump needed to “study geography.”
We don’t know if this was the “very, very big announcement” that President Trump teased in the Oval Office on Tuesday.
But, my gut says no.
I think something bigger is coming…
If you missed that, here’s the full scoop:
Thoughts?
This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.
