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

Arab countries have asked for the name of the sea off the southern coast of Iran to be changed, while Iran has said it has always had historical connections to the gulf.

Two U.S. officials engaged with The Associated Press on Tuesday under the condition of anonymity to deliberate on the subject. The White House and National Security Council did not promptly furnish responses to inquiries seeking commentary.

Since the 16th century, people have generally called this area the Persian Gulf, although many countries in the Middle East mainly use the names "Gulf of Arabia" and "Arabian Gulf." In 2012, the Iranian government, which used to be called Persia, even said they would sue Google because the company chose not to put any name on this body of water on their maps.

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

For a long period, the U.S. military has independently labelled the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf in its official communications and visual materials.

The nomenclature of this water body has evolved into a contentious matter for Iranians who deeply identify with their nation's extensive legacy as the Persian Empire. A dispute arose in 2017 during Trump's initial tenure when he referred to the waterway as the Arabian Gulf. At that time, Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, implied that Trump should acquire a better understanding of geography.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif remarked online that it had long been evident that Trump's alliances were mercenary, and that it had become clear his territorial claims were similarly negotiable.

Iran's incumbent foreign minister likewise offered his perspective on Wednesday, asserting that the names of Middle Eastern waterways "do not signify ownership by any single nation, but instead embody a mutual regard for our shared human heritage."

Abbas Araghchi wrote on the social media platform X that political efforts to change the historical name of the Persian Gulf show unfriendly intentions towards Iran and its people, and are strongly criticized.

Any quick decision about this will not be valid or have 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 possesses the authority to officially alter the name for U.S. domestic use, he cannot compel other nations to adopt that nomenclature.

The International Hydrographic Organization, which counts the United States among its members, strives to guarantee the consistent surveying and charting of all global seas, oceans, and navigable waterways, in addition to assigning names to some. Occasionally, countries use differing names for the same body of water or landmark in their official records.

Beyond Saudi Arabia, Trump is also scheduled to visit Doha, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital, both situated on the same gulf.

The American president also maintains substantial financial connections to these nations through his personal ventures, retaining proprietorship while in office.

This happened several months after Trump said the U.S. would start calling the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America.

Earlier this year, the Associated Press filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration following the White House's decision to prohibit their journalists from covering a majority of events. This action was taken because the news organization declined to comply with the president's executive order mandating the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America" within the United States.

U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, decided last month that the First Amendment protects the AP from the government punishing it for the words it used and ordered the outlet to get its access back.