Trump backs down from renaming Persian Gulf
(MENAFN) U.S. President Donald Trump has reportedly backed down from a controversial plan to rename the Persian Gulf, a move seen as a diplomatic gesture to Iran during ongoing nuclear negotiations, according to CNN.
Earlier reports from the Associated Press suggested that Trump intended to refer to the strategic waterway off Iran’s southern coast as the “Arabian Gulf” during his Middle East visit from May 13 to 16. However, he later indicated uncertainty, stating he didn’t want to “hurt anybody’s feelings.”
According to a source familiar with the matter, Trump has recently decided not to proceed with the renaming, as Iran strongly opposed the change amid sensitive talks. U.S. and Iranian officials have been engaged in several rounds of negotiations in Oman aimed at reviving a nuclear agreement. Although the discussions have been described as constructive, they have taken place against the backdrop of intensified U.S. and UK military strikes on Iran-linked Houthi forces in Yemen.
In an address at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Riyadh, Trump reiterated his desire to “make a deal” with Iran. The U.S. withdrew from the 2015 nuclear accord under Trump’s first term, accusing Iran of non-compliance—an accusation Tehran rejects. Iran, in turn, began reducing its commitments after a 2020 U.S. drone strike killed General Qasem Soleimani.
Meanwhile, the UK, Germany, and France have pressed Iran to abandon its nuclear program or face new sanctions, citing concerns over uranium enrichment levels. Tehran has denied pursuing weapons-grade material.
The naming of the gulf has long been a point of dispute. Iran insists on calling it the Persian Gulf, referencing historical maps and documents, while several Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Iraq, use the term “Arabian Gulf” or simply “the Gulf.” Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi condemned any renaming effort as a sign of hostility toward Iran.
Trump is known for making symbolic naming decisions in diplomacy. In January, he signed an executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “Gulf of America.”
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