Donald Trump is likely to ruffle a few feathers during his upcoming visit to the Middle East. The US President is likely to take a decision on whether to rename the Persian Gulf - a matter of raging debate between Iran, formerly known as Persia, and other countries that run along the Gulf.
President Trump, who will be visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates between May 13 and 16, told reporters he would soon be taking a decision on whether to rename the Persian Gulf - one of the most significant oil trade routes globally.
When asked if he would be making the announcement during his upcoming visit to the Middle East, President Trump said, "I'll have to make a decision."
'HISTORICAL CONTEXT'
The Persian Gulf gets its name from Persia, which was the former name for Iran. Persia was officially renamed Iran in 1935 after Reza Shah Pahlavi, then Shah of Iran, felt that 'Persia' was an exonym - a historical name given by outsiders. He decided that the country deserves to be known by its endonym - a name given by its natives.
Not just the country, even the people who lived in Persia were called Parsi - originating from the word 'Pars' - for millennia. These names are part of recorded history for centuries. But the naming of the Persian Gulf has been contested by other Arab countries, who also have a long history of being called Arabia.
The countries that surround the Persian Gulf are Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates (UAE). All these nations, except Iran, use the names 'Arabian Gulf' or just 'Gulf' to refer to the body of water, and have debated for long that it must be renamed.
'TRUMP'S BIG ANNOUNCEMENT'
Donald Trump, who says he will be making a "big announcement", told reporters that when he visits the Gulf nations next week, "I'm going to be given a briefing on that (Gulf debate) and I'll make a decision." He went on to say that "I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings. I don't know if feelings are going to be hurt."
Addressing a White House press briefing, President Trump said he expects his hosts - Saudi, UAE, and Qatar - to ask him what name the United States plans to use for the water body.
Sections of the US media has reported that the United States will soon start referring to the Persian Gulf as 'Arabian Gulf' or 'Gulf of Arabia'.
'WRATH OF IRAN'
Iran takes this very seriously. The country's foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi wrote on social media platform X that any such move by the US will be "indicative of hostile intent toward Iran and its people". He even threatened Washington by saying that the renaming of the Persian Gulf would "bring the wrath of all Iranians from all walks of life".
In his post, the minister stated that "Such biased actions are an affront to all Iranians, regardless of their background or place of residence", adding that "Let's hope that the absurd rumours about the PERSIAN Gulf that are going around are no more than a disinformation campaign by 'forever warriors' to anger Iranians all over the world and agitate them."
Tagging US President Donald Trump, he wrote, "I am confident that @realdonaldtrump is aware that the name PERSIAN Gulf is centuries old and recognized by all cartographers and international bodies." He also shared a map that the Library of the US Congress has used, clearly showing the name 'Persian Gulf'.
'PERSIA vs ARABIA'
For decades, Tehran has contested almost all the other Arab states over the name. In 2023, Iraq had named the region's flagship football tournament as the 'Arabian Gulf Cup' - a move that caused much tension between Iran and Iraq, with Tehran summoning the Iraqi Ambassador to lodge a formal protest.
Iran had even filed a lawsuit against Google in 2012 for leaving the water body nameless on Google Maps and Google Earth. As on date, Google labels it with both names - 'Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf)'.
This is not the first time that Donald Trump will rename a globally-recognized water body. In one of his first moves after assuming office as President, Mr Trump signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as 'Gulf of America' - a change that now reflects even on Google Maps, despite Mexico's objections.
