Two officials from the U.S. said that President Donald Trump will announce next week in Saudi Arabia that the United States will start calling the Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia.

Countries in the Middle East want to change the name of the sea near Iran, but Iran wants to keep the old name because of its history.

Two US officials talked to The Associated Press on Tuesday. They did not want their names used because they were talking about a private topic. The White House and the National Security Council did not answer questions about it right away.

People have called the Persian Gulf by that name for a long time, since the 1500s. But in many Middle Eastern countries, people usually call it the "Gulf of Arabia" or "Arabian Gulf". In 2012, the government of Iran was angry because Google maps did not show any name for the water. Iran used to be called Persia.

On Google Maps in the U.S., the water is called 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 statements and pictures.

For Iranians who are proud of their country's long history, the name of this sea is a sensitive topic. In 2017, there was a disagreement when President Trump called the sea the 'Arabian Gulf'. The president of Iran at that time, Hassan Rouhani, said Trump should 'study geography'.

The Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote online, "People knew Trump's friendship was for sale to the person who paid the most. Now we know his country's land is for sale too."

On Wednesday, Iran's foreign minister also talked. He said the names of seas and rivers in the Middle East do not mean one country owns them. He said the names show that everyone shares these places and respects their history.

Abbas Araghchi wrote on X that changing the old name of the Persian Gulf for political reasons shows they are not friendly to Iran and its people, and he strongly disagrees with it.

Any quick step on this will not be valid or have any legal or geographical effect. It will only make all Iranians very angry, no matter where they live or what they believe.

Trump can use a different name for the US government, but he cannot tell other countries what to call it.

There is a group that helps make maps of the world's seas and oceans. They want everyone to use the same maps. But sometimes countries use different names for the same water.

Trump is going to visit Qatar and the UAE, as well as Saudi Arabia. These places are near Saudi Arabia. This is his first trip outside the country since he became president. He wants to be friends with these countries. He hopes they will put money into the US and help with problems in the area, like the fight between Israel and Hamas and stopping Iran from getting nuclear weapons.

The U.S. president has strong business connections to these countries because of his companies. He still owns these companies while he is president.

This happened 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 government. The White House did not let their reporters cover most events. This was because the news group 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, a judge in the U.S. named Trevor N. McFadden made a decision. President Donald Trump chose this judge. The judge said that the First Amendment keeps the AP safe. He said the government cannot get back at the AP because of the words they choose. The judge also said that the AP should be able to get their access again.