This time, Trump decides to rename Persian Gulf, says Associated Press

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

The decision to rename the strategically important reservoir was made under pressure from Arab states in the region, primarily Saudi Arabia. It is during his visit to this country, scheduled for May 13-16, that Trump will announce his decision.

This is not the first attempt by the U.S. leader to change geographical names. In late January, he issued a decree renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. The U.N. stated in this regard that no state has the right to unilaterally change the names of international objects.

In addition to his visit to Saudi Arabia, Trump will also visit Qatar and the UAE. He will meet with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries—Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE and Oman—in Riyadh on May 14.