AP Reports Citing U.S. Officials:
"Announcement Planned During Saudi Arabia Visit"
President Donald Trump of the United States is planning to change the name of the 'Persian Gulf' in the Middle East to the 'Arabian Gulf,' according to a report by the Associated Press (AP) on May 6 (local time).
The AP, citing anonymous U.S. government officials, reported that President Trump is expected to announce this decision during his visit to Saudi Arabia next week.
The Persian Gulf is a part of the Indian Ocean located between Saudi Arabia and Iran. This body of water has been referred to as the Persian Gulf since the 16th century.
However, for several decades, neighboring Arab countries?except for Iran?have insisted on using the name 'Arabian Gulf' instead of 'Persian Gulf,' which is derived from Iran's ancient name, Persia. This dispute has caused ongoing tensions among the countries involved. If President Trump actually issues an executive order to change the U.S. designation of the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Gulf, strong opposition from Iran, which is currently engaged in nuclear negotiations with the United States, is expected.
According to the AP, Iran, which has consistently maintained the use of the name Persian Gulf, once threatened to sue Google in 2012 when the company attempted to leave the body of water unnamed on its map service. Currently, Google lists the name as 'Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf)' on its map service provided in the United States, while Apple's map service refers to it only as 'Persian Gulf.'
The White House and the U.S. National Security Council (NSC) have not issued any statements regarding the AP's report.
President Trump is scheduled to begin his tour of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Qatar starting on May 12. On January 20, the day of his inauguration, he issued an executive order instructing that the name of the Gulf of Mexico be changed to the American Gulf, leading to a dispute with Mexico. He also sparked controversy by excluding the AP from the White House press pool for refusing to comply with this directive.
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