According to two US officials, President Donald Trump intends to declare during his visit to Saudi Arabia next week that the United States will henceforth designate the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia.

Arab nations have asked for the name of the sea off the southern coast of Iran to be changed, while Iran has kept its historical connections to the gulf.

To delve into the issue, two anonymous U.S. officials engaged in discussions with The Associated Press on Tuesday, under the stipulation of remaining unnamed. Neither the White House nor the National Security Council provided an immediate response to requests for commentary.

The Persian Gulf has been widely recognised by that denomination since the 16th century, though "Gulf of Arabia" and "Arabian Gulf" are the prevailing terms in several Middle Eastern nations. The Iranian government — formerly Persia — contemplated legal action against Google in 2012 due to the company's decision to omit any label for the body of water on its maps.

In the United States, Google Maps labels the body of water as 'Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf)', while Apple Maps designates it solely as 'Persian Gulf'.

For years, the U.S. military has exclusively used the term "Arabian Gulf" to denote the Persian Gulf in its official communications and media.

The nomenclature of the waterway has evolved into a contentious matter for Iranians, who hold a profound connection to their nation's extensive history as the Persian Empire. A dispute erupted in 2017 during Trump's initial term when he referred to the body of water as the Arabian Gulf, prompting Iran's then-president, Hassan Rouhani, to suggest Trump required a lesson in geography.

"It was common knowledge that Trump's favour could be bought by the highest offer; we now understand his geographical knowledge is similarly obtainable," Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif remarked online at the time.

On Wednesday, Iran’s foreign minister also offered his opinion, stating that names of Middle East waterways do “not denote ownership by any specific nation, but instead demonstrate a mutual regard for the shared legacy of humanity.”

Abbas Araghchi said on social media platform X that changing the historical name of the Persian Gulf for political reasons shows unfriendly intentions towards Iran and its people, and these actions are strongly criticized.

Any quick action on this issue will not be valid or have any legal or geographical effect. It will only make all Iranians angry, no matter where they live or what they believe politically, in Iran, the U.S., and around the world.

While Trump holds the authority to alter the official U.S. designation, he lacks the power to prescribe its name for the international community.

The International Hydrographic Organization, including the United States as a member, strives to guarantee that all global seas, oceans, and navigable waters are consistently surveyed and charted, and it also designates names for some of these bodies. There are situations where nations employ distinct names for the same body of water or landmark within their respective documentation.

Besides Saudi Arabia, Trump will also visit Doha, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. These places are all on the same body of water. This trip was originally planned as Trump’s first trip outside the country since he became president on January 20th. It happens as Trump is trying to build stronger relationships with the Gulf countries. He wants them to invest money in the U.S. and help with problems in the region, like ending the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and stopping Iran’s nuclear program from growing.

The U.S. president also maintains substantial financial connections to the countries via his personal enterprises, which he has continued to own while in office.

This action follows months after Trump declared the U.S. would rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.

The Associated Press sued the Trump administration this year because the White House stopped its journalists from covering most events. This happened because the organization did not follow the president's order to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America" in the United States.

Last month, U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, decided that the First Amendment protects the AP from the government punishing it for the words it uses. He ordered that the news organization's access should be given back.