In a startling revelation that emerged late Tuesday, President Donald Trump is set to declare a change in the U.S. geographical nomenclature, rebranding the Persian Gulf as either the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia.
This unexpected decision, confirmed by two officials to the Associated Press, is anticipated to stir the geopolitical pot in the Middle East.
According to the Western Journal, the body of water in question has been widely recognized as the Persian Gulf since the 16th century. However, this nomenclature has been challenged by several Middle Eastern nations, particularly Sunni Arab states, who have advocated for a renaming. These states have already adopted the terms "Gulf of Arabia" or "Arabian Gulf" in their references to the water body.
Iran, on the other hand, has staunchly opposed any attempts to deviate from the country's former name, Persia. This opposition was evident in 2012 when Iran sued Google over the tech giant's refusal to label the body of water in its Google Maps application. The app now refers to the water body as the "Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf)." The U.S. military has also been using the term "Arabian Gulf" in its communications and imagery for some time now.
Despite these developments, the United States has refrained from officially adopting the term Arabian Gulf, although Trump hinted at the possibility in 2017. This suggestion was met with criticism from then-Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who advised Trump to "study geography."
Trump had previously hinted at an "earth-shattering" announcement during his Oval Office meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, as reported by the New York Post. "We have a big announcement to make, not about trade but something else but it's going to be a truly earth shattering and a positive development for this country and for the people of this country," he stated. Whether this renaming was the subject of Trump's cryptic statement remains unclear.
As of Tuesday night, both the White House and the National Security Council had not responded to media inquiries for comment.
In a technical sense, this decision does not necessarily alter the official reference to the body of water. The International Hydrographic Organization, of which the United States is a member, determines official nomenclature. This organization, as noted by the AP, "works to ensure all the worlds seas, oceans and navigable waters are surveyed and charted uniformly, and also names some of them."
However, the United States' decision to adopt the term Arabian Gulf could not only increase diplomatic pressure on Tehran but also prompt a discussion within the International Hydrographic Organization about the name.
This development coincides with Trump's impending visit to several Arab countries bordering the water body, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. These visits are part of a diplomatic mission aimed at securing financial investment in the United States. Whether the gulf's naming convention will be a topic of discussion during these visits is yet to be seen.
Trump has previously encountered diplomatic resistance over his decision to officially refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, a move that was met with disapproval from the government of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.
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