US President Donald Trump's reported plan to rename the Persian Gulf as the "Arabian Gulf" or "Gulf of Arabia" has ignited widespread outrage across Iran, uniting Iranians of all political stripes in defense of a name tied to their national identity.
ملکه ایران #والاحضرت_یاسمین_پهلوی با بازنشر یک کلیپ از ترامپ و تاکیدش بر نام #خلیجفارس ، مهر پایان را زدند!#KingRezaPahlavi pic.twitter.com/OMNvKGltSl
— Benyamin بنیامین (@ARHAMEL2) May 8, 2025
The Persian Gulf, a body of water historically significant to Iran's heritage, has long been a point of contention, with some Arab states pushing to call it the Arabian Gulf. Trump's endorsement of this change, set to be announced during his Middle East visit next week, has struck a nerve, prompting sharp reactions from Iranian officials, analysts, and citizens alike, as reported by The Associated Press on May 7.
In a television interview with the American network Fox, exiled Iranian crown prince Prince Reza Pahlavi reacted to Trump's possible decision to change the name of the Persian Gulf, saying, "You can't change the name of a region with just a political signature." The prince said that the US president, like many other people in the world, learned the name of this body of water in school by its millennia-old name, the Persian Gulf. Pahlavi urged Trump to respect the "historically unchallengeable Persian Gulf," a plea his supporters have recirculated on X.
"The Persian Gulf is not just a name but a historical reality. For thousands of years, Iranians, Arabs, and Westerners have referred to this body of water between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula by its true and only name: the Persian Gulf. The reported decision by President Trump to abrogate history, should it be true, is an affront to the people of Iran and our great civilization," he wrote on X. "But, once again, the true culprit of this shameful act is Ali Khamenei and his anti-Iranian regime who have so weakened our nation that foreign powers dare make such transgressions against Iran's national identity and world history."
The Persian Gulf is not just a name but a historical reality. For thousands of years, Iranians, Arabs, and Westerners have referred to this body of water between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula by its true and only name: the Persian Gulf. The reported decision by President Trump… pic.twitter.com/6GkKArUgb0
— Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) May 7, 2025
He added, "The Islamic Republic has caused this national embarrassment so we will not rally around its usurping flag. Instead, let every Iranian of whatever stripe, strain, or ideology, unite once and for all to again raise our true Lion and Sun flag over Iran and the eternal Persian Gulf. The Persian Gulf is our national inheritance and the defense of its honor and its name is a national responsibility for each of us to bear in any way we can. "
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi dismissed the report as potential "disinformation" aimed at provoking Iranians worldwide, warning that such a move, while legally and geographically meaningless, would unite Iranians in anger, according to The Associated Press.
The move could jeopardize Trump's support among Iranians who back his hardline stance against Tehran, warns Behnam Taleblu, senior director of the Iran program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, as cited in The Associated Press. "This decision will have the inadvertent effect of watering down [Trump's] pro-max pressure constituency inside and outside the US and Iran that has supported the White House's Iran agenda," he wrote on X. Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, noted that the US military's use of "Arabian Gulf" aligns with Arab partners but alienates Iranians, who are unified in insisting on the Persian Gulf name, according to The Associated Press.
Tensions over the name are not new. In 2017, Trump's use of "Arabian Gulf" prompted then-President Hassan Rouhani to quip that he should "study geography," as reported by The Associated Press.
Beyond pride, the rename could have broader implications, potentially disrupting nuclear talks with Tehran, warned Abdolrasool Divsallar, a security expert at Universita' Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, who called it "a very bad decision in a very bad time," The Associated Press reported. Mostafa Najafi, an Iran-based commentator, suggested it could affect the legal status of three disputed islands – Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb – controlled by Iran but claimed by the UAE, according to The Associated Press.
There has always been and will only ever be one name for the Persian Gulf. pic.twitter.com/PeqgJhDenG
— Vivid.🇮🇱 (@VividProwess) May 7, 2025
The US has historically used "Persian Gulf" officially, per the US Board on Geographic Names, but the military often adopts "Arabian Gulf" in regional contexts, a inconsistency Brodsky highlighted. Trump's earlier renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America" led to a clash with The Associated Press, which refused the term, resulting in restricted White House access until a court restored it in April, per The Associated Press.
