Trump wants to rename another bay
Photo: US President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
The United States will rename the Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf. President Donald Trump plans to announce this during a visit to the country next week, Associated Press reports.
Yes, Arab countries have been pushing for a change in the geographical name of a body of water off the southern coast of Iran. US officials spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive issues.
"Trump can change the name for official U.S. purposes, but he can’t dictate what the rest of the world calls it," the journalists noted.
Trump's trip to Saudi Arabia
In addition to Saudi Arabia, Trump is also planning to visit Doha, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, which are also located in the Gulf.
Originally planned as Trump's first foreign trip since taking office on January 20, it comes amid Trump's efforts to reach out to Gulf states as he seeks their financial investment in the United States and support in regional conflicts, including resolving the Israeli-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip and curbing Iran's advanced nuclear program.
The US President also has significant financial ties to the countries through his businesses.
Background
The Persian Gulf has been widely known by this name since the 16th century, although many countries in the Middle East use the name Arabian Gulf. The government of Iran - formerly Persia - threatened to sue Google in 2012 over the company's decision not to label the body of water on its maps at all.
Google Maps in the US lists the body of water as the Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf). Apple Maps only lists the Persian Gulf.
The US military has unilaterally referred to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf in statements and revealed images for years.
The name of the body of water has become an issue for Iranians, who see their country’s long history as the Persian Empire. The dispute arose in 2017 during Trump’s first term, when he used the name Persian Gulf for the waterway. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani at the time suggested that Trump needed to learn geography.
“Everyone knew Trump’s friendship was for sale to the highest bidder. We now know that his geography is, too," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote.
The International Hydrographic Organization, of which the United States is a member, works to ensure that all of the world’s seas, oceans, and navigable waters are surveyed and mapped in the same way, and also gives names to some of them. There are cases when countries call the same body of water or landmark by different names in their documentation.
Renaming by Trump
A few months ago, Trump announced that the United States would call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.
Thus, according to the decree of President Donald Trump, the Gulf of Mexico is now called the Gulf of America, and the highest peak in North America is now called Mount McKinley.
In connection with Trump's order, it was reported that the Gulf of Mexico will be renamed the American Gulf on Google Maps. But this only applies to the United States.
