According to two US officials, President Donald Trump plans to announce next week during his trip to Saudi Arabia that the United States will now call the Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia.

Arab countries have asked to change the name of the sea near the south coast of Iran, but Iran wants to keep its historical connection to it.

Two US government officials spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday but did not want their names used, so they could talk about the issue. The White House and National Security Council did not answer requests for comments right away.

The Persian Gulf has been called that for a long time, but many countries in the Middle East prefer to use the name "Arabian Gulf." In 2012, Iran even said it would sue Google because the company didn't put the gulf's name on its maps.

In the U.S., Google Maps shows this area of water as the Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf). Apple Maps just calls it the Persian Gulf.

For many years, the US military has called the Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf in their official statements and pictures.

For Iranians who are proud of their country's long history as the Persian Empire, the name of the sea is a sensitive topic. In 2017, when Trump was president, a disagreement started because he called it the Arabian Gulf. Iran's president at that time, Hassan Rouhani, said that Trump should learn more about geography.

At that time, Iran's Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, wrote online, "Everyone knew Trump's friendship could be bought by the person who offered the most money. Now we know he will also say whatever the person who pays the most wants about places."

On Wednesday, Iran’s foreign minister also spoke, saying that the names of Middle Eastern waterways do “not mean one country owns them, but instead show that everyone respects what belongs to all people.”

Abbas Araghchi wrote on social media that political attempts to change the historical name of the Persian Gulf show unfriendly feelings towards Iran and its people, and he strongly disagrees with them.

Any quick decision on this matter will not be accepted legally or geographically. It will only make Iranians everywhere angry, including those in Iran, the U.S., and other countries.

Trump can change the official U.S. name, but he cannot tell the rest of the world what to call it.

The International Hydrographic Organization, which includes the United States, helps make sure that all the world's seas, oceans, and rivers that ships can use are measured and mapped in the same way. It also helps name some of them. Sometimes, different countries use different names for the same sea or river in their official papers.

Trump will also visit Qatar and the UAE, which are also on the Gulf. This trip is important because Trump wants to become better friends with these countries. He hopes they will invest money in the US and help with problems in the region, like the war between Israel and Hamas and Iran's nuclear plans.

The U.S. president also has important financial connections to these countries because of his personal companies, which he still owns while in office.

This decision happened a few months after Trump said the U.S. would call the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.

Earlier this year, The Associated Press took legal action against the Trump government. This happened after the White House stopped their journalists from reporting on many events. The news organization had not followed the president's order to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America" in the United States.

A US judge, Trevor N. McFadden, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, decided last month that the First Amendment protects the Associated Press (AP) from the government taking action against them because of the words they choose. He also ordered that the AP should get their access back.