President Donald Trump is reportedly renamed the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Gulf before his trip to the Middle East in the coming days.
The expected announcement was first reported Wednesday by the Associated Press. This clashed with the Trump administration earlier this year over the president who renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the US Gulf.
Fox News Digital contacted the White House for comment but did not immediately respond. The AP cited two U.S. authorities who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue.
The Iranian foreign minister condemned the reported changes, writing that “an attempt to motivate politically to change the historically established name of the Persian Gulf has been firmly condemned, showing an intention of hostility towards Iran and its people.”
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President Donald Trump speaks before Steve Witkoff was declared as envoy at a ceremony at the White House’s oval office on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.
“That biased behavior is a humiliation for all Iranians, regardless of their background or place of residence. Let us hope that the absurd rumors about the Persian Gulf around them are nothing more than a disinformation campaign by “eternal warriors” that anger and upset Iranians around the world.”
The Foreign Minister said the name Persian Gulf was “deeply rooted in human history,” and Iran “has never opposed the use of names such as Oman, the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, or the Red Sea.”
“The use of these names does not imply ownership by a particular country, but rather reflects a common respect for the collective heritage of humanity,” wrote Abbas Aragich, adding that he has confidence in being Trump.
“The myopia step in relation to this has no effectiveness or legal or geographical effect, but it only brings the rage of all Iranians from all life and political persuasion in Iran, the United States and around the world,” he said.
Trump will travel to the Middle East in the coming days, where he will visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. All of these are found in the waters.
President Donald Trump will speak at a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday, May 6, 2025 at the White House Oval Office. He teased “a very big announcement” before his trip to the Middle East. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Trump teases “a very big announcement” ahead of his trip to the Middle East, with Carney saying he’s “at the edge of my seat.”
We and Iranian officials are also expected to meet for the fourth round of nuclear talks in Oman in the coming days. Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that the US is negotiating a “complete suspension” of Tehran’s nuclear program.
Arab countries are seeking changes in the geographical name of the waters off the southern coast of Iran, and Iran maintains historic ties to the Gulf under the Persian Empire.
According to the AP, the Persian Gulf has been widely known by its name since the 16th century, but the use of the “Arabian Gulf” and “Arabian Gulf” is dominated in many countries in the Middle East. The Iranian government (formerly Persia) threatened to sue Google in 2012 over the company’s decision not to label waters at all on the map.
Vice President JD Vance previewed the upcoming US-Iran nuclear talks during discussions at the Munich Leader Conference in Washington, DC on May 7, 2025 (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
In Google Maps in the US, the waters appear in parentheses, followed by the “Persian Gulf” and the “Arabian Gulf.” Apple Maps is just talking about the Persian Gulf.
For many years, the US military has unilaterally referred to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf, in the statements and images it releases.
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It occurred in 2017 during Trump’s first term when he used the name Arabian Gulf for his waterway. Hassan Rouhani, the then-Iranian president, suggested that Trump needed to “study geography.”
“Everyone knew Trump’s friendship was on sale to the highest bidder, and so did his geography,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote online at the time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Daniel Wallace is a news and political reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to danielle.wallace@fox.com and to X:@danimwallace.
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