Trump plans to announce US will call Persian Gulf Arabian Gulf: Officials

President Donald Trump plans to announce while on his trip to Saudi Arabia next week that the US will now refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia, two US officials told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Arab nations have pushed for a change to the geographic name of the body of water off the southern coast of Iran, while Iran has maintained its historic ties to the gulf.

The US officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. The White House and National Security Council didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

The Persian Gulf has been widely known by that name since the 16th century, although usage of Gulf of Arabia and Arabian Gulf is dominant in many countries in the Middle East. The government of Iran formerly Persia threatened to sue Google in 2012 over the company's decision not to label the body of water at all on its maps.

On Google Maps in the US, the body of water appears as Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf). Apple Maps only says the Persian Gulf.

The US military for years has unilaterally referred to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf in statements and images it releases.

The name of the body of water has become an emotive issue for Iranians who embrace their country's long history as the Persian Empire. A spat developed in 2017 during Trump's first term when he used the name Arabian Gulf for the waterway. Iran's president at the time, Hassan Rouhani, suggested Trump needed to study geography.

Everyone knew Trump's friendship was for sale to the highest bidder. We now know that his geography is, too, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote online at the time.

Trump can change the name for official US purposes, but he can't dictate what the rest of the world calls it.

The International Hydrographic Organisation of which the United States is a member works to ensure all the world's seas, oceans and navigable waters are surveyed and charted uniformly, and also names some of them.

There are instances where countries refer to the same body of water or landmark by different names in their own documentation.

In addition to Saudi Arabia, Trump is also set to visit Doha, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, which also lie on the body of water.

Originally planned as Trump's first trip overseas since he took office on January 20, it comes as Trump has tried to draw closer to the Gulf countries as he seeks their financial investment in the US and support in regional conflicts, including resolving the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and limiting Iran's advancing nuclear programme.

The US president also has significant financial ties to the countries through his personal businesses, over which he has retained ownership from the Oval Office.

The move comes several months after Trump said the US would refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.

The Associated Press sued the Trump administration earlier this year after the White House barred its journalists from covering most events because of the organisation's decision not to follow the president's executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America within the United States.

US District Judge Trevor N. McFadden, an appointee of President Donald Trump, ruled last month that the First Amendment protects the AP from government retaliation over its word choice and ordered the outlet's access to be reinstated.