Trump seeks to rename the Persian Gulf and call it the Arabian Gulf.

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, plans to announce during his next trip to Saudi Arabia a major change in the country's geographical naming policy:the United States will begin referring to the ''Persian Gulf'' as the ''Arabian Gulf'' or ''Gulf of Arabia''.

The news, revealed by two U.S. officials under the condition of anonymity,has caused an immediate reaction from Iran, which considers the change a political provocation.

The current Foreign Minister of Iran, Abbas Araghchi, described the measure as a politically motivated attempt that ''reflects a hostile intention toward Iran and its people''.

In a post on the social network X, Araghchi emphasized that the names of waterways do not indicate national ownership, but represent a shared heritage of humanity.

He also warned that any attempt to change the historically established name of the Persian Gulf will have no legal or geographical validity, but it will provoke a strong reaction from the Iranian people, both inside and outside the country.

The Persian Gulf has been known by that name since at least the 16th century, although in several Arab countries and in U.S. military documents it is frequently referred to as the ''Arabian Gulf''.

The region has been the center of semantic disputes for decades. Since the 1960s, Arab countries have advocated for a name change that reflects their cultural and geographical identity.

Meanwhile, Iran, which was called Persia until 1935, keeps more than 1,600 kilometers (994 miles) of coastline along the gulf, and considers that the name ''Persian Gulf'' reflects its historical legacy as a millennial empire.

This is not the first episode in which the name of the gulf generates tensions. In 2012, Iran threatened to sue Google for not labeling the body of water on its maps.

Currently, Google Maps in the United States shows ''Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf)'', while Apple Maps only uses ''Persian Gulf''. In 2010, Iran also warned that it would ban airlines that used ''Arabian Gulf'' in their onboard entertainment systems from entering its airspace.

Internationally, the name recognized by the organization responsible for maritime cartographic standards, the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), remains ''Persian Gulf''. The IHO, based in Monaco and of which the United States is a member, sets global standards for the names of seas and navigable bodies.

Although Trump has the authority to change the terminology used in U.S. government documents and official statements, he can't impose the new denomination internationally. Additionally, such a change could be reversed by a future president if it lacks legislative support in Congress.

This announcement comes a few months after Trump also ordered that the ''Gulf of Mexico'' be referred to as ''Gulf of America'' in official documents, a symbolic decision that caused great support among the American people.

In a recent statement from the White House, Trump hinted that he would reveal a ''very, very big'' news, which many speculate would be this name change, although it has not yet been officially confirmed.

Trump is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates from May 13 to 16, all of which are countries with coasts on the disputed gulf, suggesting that this announcement could be part of a broader geopolitical strategy to strengthen ties with Arab allies in the region.