The US President says he will announce a decision on the waterway during a trip to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
US President Donald Trump said he will make a decision on how the United States refers to the “Persian Gulf” during a coming visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Speaking to the White House journalists on Wednesday, Trump said he expected to ask his hosts about the name of the United States for the waterway during his first trip to the Middle East since the restoration of the White House.
“I will have to make a decision,” Trump said in response to a question about whether he will issue an advertisement for the name of the water.
“I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. I don’t know if the feelings will harm.”
“I will get a briefing on that and I will make a decision,” Trump added.
Trump’s comments came after the American media reported that he was planning to use a trip from May 13 to 16 to announce that the United States will start referring to the water body such as the Persian Gulf or the Gulf of the Arabian Peninsula.
The name of the waterway has always been a source of tensions between Arab countries and Iran.
Iran argues that the “Persian Gulf” is the appropriate name in light of historical evidence, including old maps, which turned out to be part of its territory.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq and other Arab countries use the term “Arab Gulf” or “Gulf”.
In 2023, Tehran summoned the Iraqi ambassador to protest his country’s use of the “Arab Gulf Cup” for the leading football championship in the region.
In 2012, Iran threatened to sue the Internet giant to Google to leave the Waterway Corridor without name on the online map services.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragcha condemned the latest proposals to change the name as “indicating an enemy intention towards Iran and its people,” and warned that this step “will only bring the anger of all Iranians from all aspects of life.”
“These biased measures are an insult to all Iranians, regardless of their background or place of residence,” Aragchi said in a publication on Thursday.
“Let’s hope that the ridiculous rumors about the Persian Gulf, which wanders more than just a misleading information campaign by” Forever Warriers “of Iranian anger around the world and raises them.
In one of his first actions as president, Trump signed an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America”.
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