Trump set to rebrand Persian Gulf as 'Arabian Gulf,' drawing Iranian backlash

Donald Trump is preparing to announce during an upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia that the United States will officially refer to the Persian Gulf as the "Arabian Gulf" or "Gulf of Arabia." Two American officials confirmed the plan to the Associated Press on Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity. The announcement has already triggered a sharp response from Tehran.

Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, issued a statement on Wednesday condemning what he called a "politically motivated" attempt to alter the waterway's name. He argued that geographic names do not belong to any single nation but rather represent shared human heritage. The renaming, Araghchi wrote, constitutes hostile intent toward Iran and its people. He warned that any such move would lack validity under international law or geography, and would provoke anger across Iran's population regardless of political affiliation—and among Iranians living abroad as well.

The dispute over what to call this body of water reflects a deeper tension between Iran and Arab states. Arab nations have long pushed for the name change, while Iran has maintained historical claims to the gulf based on its ancient identity as Persia. The Persian Gulf designation has dominated international usage since the 16th century, though "Arabian Gulf" and "Gulf of Arabia" are common in many Middle Eastern countries. When Google declined to label the waterway on its maps in 2012, Iran threatened legal action. Today, Google Maps in the United States displays both names—Persian Gulf and Arabian Gulf—while Apple Maps uses only Persian Gulf.

This is not Trump's first venture into the naming dispute. During his first term in 2017, he referred to the waterway as the Arabian Gulf, prompting Iran's then-president Hassan Rouhani to suggest Trump needed to improve his geography. The U.S. military has unilaterally used "Arabian Gulf" in official statements and imagery for years, establishing a precedent within the American government.

What Trump can and cannot do matters here. He can change how the United States officially refers to the gulf in its own documents and communications. He cannot, however, dictate what other nations call it. The International Hydrographic Organization, a body of which the United States is a member, works to standardize the charting and naming of the world's seas and oceans. Countries routinely refer to the same body of water by different names in their own official materials—a practice that is already established and accepted. The White House and National Security Council did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the planned announcement.

The move echoes Trump's earlier declaration that the United States would refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America." Both actions signal an approach to geographic nomenclature that prioritizes American preference over established international convention. For Iran, the renaming carries symbolic weight tied to national identity and historical continuity. For the Trump administration, it appears to represent a gesture toward Arab allies during a significant diplomatic visit to the region.