Donald Trump expected to rename another part of the world following petty dispute in upcoming announcement

It looks like Donald Trump might be planning to stir up global controversy again—this time by trying to change the name of a well-known part of the world: the Persian Gulf. According to two U.S. officials, Trump is expected to announce that the United States will stop using the name “Persian Gulf” and instead start calling it the “Arabian Gulf.” This news is expected to come out during his upcoming trip to the Middle East, where he will visit countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

During that trip, Trump will also be discussing major topics like the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States, and Iran’s nuclear program. But the rumored name change is already creating a lot of tension.

This isn’t the first time Trump has made surprising or controversial statements about geography. At one point, he reportedly signed an order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.” He has also joked about renaming Greenland if the U.S. ever bought it, tried to pressure Canada into becoming America’s 51st state to avoid paying tariffs, and even made comments about taking control of the Panama Canal and parts of Gaza. These moves and suggestions have often been seen as petty, unrealistic, or deeply offensive.

Now, Trump seems to be turning his attention to the Persian Gulf, a body of water that has carried that name for hundreds of years. Most of the world knows it as the Persian Gulf, but some Arab countries call it the Arabian Gulf. This disagreement about the name has existed for a long time and is deeply tied to regional politics and history.

Iran, whose coastline borders the Persian Gulf, takes the name very seriously. Iranian officials see any attempt to rename it as disrespectful and hostile. They argue that the name isn’t about owning the gulf but about respecting a long, shared human history. In fact, when Google Maps didn’t label the Persian Gulf back in 2012, Iran reacted strongly and even threatened to sue the company.

An Iranian diplomat told reporters that if Trump really moves forward with this name change, it would cause an unusual result: all Iranians—no matter what their political views—would unite against him. That’s something that rarely happens in a country with a lot of political division. The Iranian government says that changing the name won’t have any legal or geographic effect. But it would be seen as a direct insult by millions of people, not just in Iran, but in Iranian communities around the world.

Even though this is still just a rumor, many people remember that Trump has already used the name “Arabian Gulf” in the past, during his presidency. That caused backlash at the time too. Iran’s president told him to learn more about geography, and the foreign minister joked that Trump was willing to sell off maps to the highest bidder.

So far, there hasn’t been an official confirmation from Trump or the U.S. government, but if this announcement happens, it could seriously damage relations with Iran and cause tension in the Middle East. A move like this, even if it sounds small, can have a big impact because of how symbolic and meaningful names can be—especially in a region that has seen so much conflict and history.