According to two US officials, President Donald Trump will announce next week when he visits Saudi Arabia that the United States will now call the Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia.

Countries in the Arab world want to change the name of the sea near Iran, but Iran says it has always been connected to this area.

Two officials from the U.S. talked to The Associated Press on Tuesday. They asked not to be named because they were talking about a private topic. The White House and National Security Council did not reply to questions asking for their opinion right away.

People have called the Persian Gulf by that name since the 16th century. However, in many Middle Eastern countries, people usually use the names “Gulf of Arabia” or “Arabian Gulf.” In 2012, the government of Iran, which was once called Persia, even said it would sue Google. This was because Google decided not to put any name on this area of water on its maps.

On Google Maps in the U.S., this sea is shown as Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf). Apple Maps only calls it the Persian Gulf.

For many years, the U.S. 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 this body of water is a sensitive topic. In 2017, when Trump was president for the first time, a disagreement started because he called it the Arabian Gulf. Iran's president at that time, Hassan Rouhani, said Trump should "study geography."

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote online that people knew Trump would be friends with anyone who paid him the most. He also said that now we know his ideas about different places can also be bought.

On Wednesday, Iran's foreign minister also shared his view, stating that the names of Middle East waterways do not mean one country owns them. Instead, he said, they represent respect for the shared history and culture of all people.

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

Any quick decision on this matter will not be seen as right or have legal or geographical power. It will only make all Iranians angry, no matter where they live or what their beliefs are.

Trump has the power to change the official U.S. name, but he cannot force other countries to use that name.

The International Hydrographic Organization helps make sure all the world’s seas and oceans are measured and mapped in the same way, and it also gives names to some of them. Sometimes countries use different names for the same body of water or place in their documents.

Trump also plans to visit Qatar and the UAE, which are near Saudi Arabia. He wants their financial support and help with issues like the Israel-Hamas war and Iran's nuclear program.

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

This 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 sued the Trump administration because the White House stopped their journalists from covering most events.

Last month, a judge appointed by President Donald Trump made a decision. He said the First Amendment protects the Associated Press (AP) so the government cannot punish them for the words they choose. He also said the news agency must be allowed to have access again.