President Trump is expected to announce during his upcoming trip to Saudi Arabia that the United States will officially begin referring to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia, according to two U.S. officials.
The shift aligns with longstanding pressure from Arab nations, which have advocated for a rebranding of the body of water that borders southern Iran. Iran, meanwhile, has staunchly defended the historical name, which dates back to the 16th century and reflects its heritage as the former Persian Empire.
Although “Arabian Gulf” and “Gulf of Arabia” are commonly used in the Arab world, the name “Persian Gulf” remains internationally recognized. Iran threatened legal action against Google in 2012 after the company left the waterway unnamed on its maps. Today, Google Maps in the U.S. labels it “Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf),” while Apple Maps uses only “Persian Gulf.”
The U.S. military has long referred to the waterway as the Arabian Gulf in its official communications, a practice that has fueled Iranian resentment. The naming dispute intensified during Trump’s first term in 2017, when then-Iranian President Hassan Rouhani criticized Trump’s use of “Arabian Gulf” and suggested he “study geography.”
Iran’s current foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, responded to reports of Trump’s planned announcement by condemning the move. “Politically motivated attempts to alter the historically established name of the Persian Gulf are indicative of hostile intent toward Iran and its people, and are firmly condemned,” he wrote on X. He warned that any such action would be invalid and would provoke strong backlash from Iranians worldwide.
Trump’s trip will also include stops in Doha, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates—both of which lie along the same disputed waterway. His visit, originally planned as his first overseas since taking office on January 20, comes as he seeks deeper economic ties with Gulf nations and their support in addressing the Israel-Hamas conflict and Iran’s expanding nuclear capabilities.
