Trump to rename Persian Gulf as ‘Arabian Gulf’, angering Iran during nuclear talks

US President Donald Trump intends to direct federal agencies to use the term “Arabian Gulf” (or “Gulf of Arabia”) instead of the historically accepted “Persian Gulf” when he visits Saudi Arabia next week. The rebrand, long sought by Arab allies, would symbolically side with Gulf monarchies and comes just months after Trump informally dubbed the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.”

Tehran reacted with rare unanimity: foreign minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the mooted change as “politically motivated hostility,” warning it would unite Iranians across the political spectrum against Washington. European diplomats fear the move could embolden hardliners and jeopardise delicate negotiations aimed at curbing Iran’s uranium enrichment in return for sanctions relief and economic “reintegration,” a deal US vice-president JD Vance says is “so far so good.”

White House aides portray the naming switch as a goodwill gesture toward Arab leaders that could unlock broader regional concessions, including normalisation with Israel. Critics, however, see a gratuitous provocation with no legal standing, recalling Tehran’s 2012 threat to sue Google for omitting the Gulf’s label entirely. If Trump proceeds, observers warn, the linguistic salvo may inflame nationalist sentiment in Iran just as negotiators approach a potential breakthrough on the country’s nuclear programme.