According to two U.S. officials, President Donald Trump plans to say next week in Saudi Arabia that the United States will now call the Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia.

Arab countries want to change the name of the sea near southern Iran, but Iran wants to keep its traditional name for the gulf.

Two U.S. officials talked to The Associated Press on Tuesday. They did not want their names used because they were discussing the topic. The White House and the National Security Council did not answer immediately when asked for comments.

People have called the Persian Gulf by that name since the 1500s. However, many countries in the Middle East mainly use names like “Gulf of Arabia” or “Arabian Gulf.” The government of Iran, which used to be called Persia, even said it might take Google to court in 2012 because Google did not put any name on this sea on their maps.

In the U.S., Google Maps shows this sea as the Persian Gulf, and it also says it's known as the Arabian Gulf. But Apple Maps only calls it the Persian Gulf.

For many years, the U.S. military has used the name 'Arabian Gulf' instead of 'Persian 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 this sea is a sensitive topic. In 2017, during Trump's first time as president, an argument started when he called the sea the Arabian Gulf. Iran's president at that time, Hassan Rouhani, said Trump should "study geography."

Iranian 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 change his ideas about places for money."

On Wednesday, Iran’s foreign minister also gave his opinion, saying that the names of waterways in the Middle East do not mean one country owns them. He added that these names show that everyone shares and respects this history.

Abbas Araghchi wrote on X that trying to change the historical name of the Persian Gulf for political reasons shows hostility towards Iran and its people, and this is strongly disapproved of.

Taking a quick, unwise step on this issue will not be legally or geographically effective; it will only make Iranians from all backgrounds and political beliefs angry, no matter where they live, including in Iran, the U.S., and around the world.

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 helps make sure that maps of the world's seas, oceans, and rivers are the same everywhere, and it also gives names to some of them. Sometimes, different countries use different names for the same water or place in their maps and papers.

Besides Saudi Arabia, Trump will also visit Doha in Qatar and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. These places are also located on the same sea. This trip was supposed to be Trump's first overseas since he became president on January 20th. He wants to become better friends with these countries in the Gulf area. He hopes they will invest money in the U.S. and help with problems in the region, like ending the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and stopping Iran's nuclear program from growing.

The U.S. president also has strong financial connections to these countries through his personal businesses, which he still owns while he is president.

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

The Associated Press sued the Trump administration this year. This was because the White House stopped their journalists from going to most events. The White House did this because the news organization did not obey 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 chosen by President Donald Trump, decided last month that the First Amendment protects the Associated Press (AP) from being punished by the government for the words they use. He also ordered that the AP must be given access again.