Trump planning to change how US refers to Persian Gulf

President Donald Trump is making plans for the United States to begin referring to the Persian Gulf as the Gulf of Arabia or the Arabian Gulf, two administration officials familiar with the discussions told CNN.

President Donald Trump is making plans for the United States to begin referring to the Persian Gulf as the Gulf of Arabia or the Arabian Gulf, two administration officials familiar with the discussions told CNN. The expected announcement is tied to his trip to the Middle East next week, where he’ll visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, the officials said. They added that conversations regarding the change are ongoing, and it is still unclear when the president will make the announcement. When asked about the name change at an Oval Office event Wednesday, Trump told reporters that he’ll “have to make a decision” during his Middle East trip next week. “They’re going to ask me about that when I get there, and I’ll have to make a decision,” Trump said. “I don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings. I don’t know if feelings are going to be hurt.” Trump added that he is “going to be given a briefing” regarding plans on renaming the gulf, adding he would make a decision after that. Arab nations have long pushed for the Persian Gulf, the body of water off the southern coast of Iran, to be renamed to reflect their countries. But Trump’s comments appear to acknowledge that the Iranians, who have long pushed for the body of water off the southern cost of their country to continue being referred to as the Persian Gulf, will vehemently oppose to such a move.