Trump Backs Off Plan to Rename Persian Gulf After Backlash from Iranian Officials: Report
President Donald Trump is backing off a plan to rename the Persian Gulf the Gulf of Arabia after backlash from Iranian officials, according to a report by CNN.
Trump was in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and delivered a speech at the Saudi-U.S. Investment Forum. During his remarks, he described the Iranian regime as “the biggest and most destructive” of the “agents of chaos and terror” in the region that was “holding hostage the dreaming of millions of people” and had “caused unthinkable suffering in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, Yemen, and beyond.”
The president continued, saying this was in sharp contrast with the Saudis, and “the path you have pursued on the Arabian peninsula” versus “the
disaster unfolding right across in the Gulf — of Iran.”
“Think of that,” Trump said. “They wanted to name it that. I said, they’re not going to let them do that. Do you mind if I stop that? I stopped it. We’re not going to let that happen.”
The audience applauded in response, and cameras showed Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman and Elon Musk clapping.
The president kicked off his second term by renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America, sparking a dispute with the Associated Press when the international news organization would not comply as it was not an area totally within U.S. control. The AP filed a lawsuit after the White House blocked its reporters and photographers from accessing the Oval Office, Air Force One, and other official events, and were granted an injunction against the ban last month.
Earlier this month, it was reported that Trump had another name change in mind and was planning to announce during this trip that the U.S. would start referring to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf.
But those plans were scrapped, according to CNN, because “Iran officials made clear they would vociferously oppose such a move.”
Journalist Yashar Ali, who is of Iranian descent and has been publicly critical of the totalitarian government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, tweeted that not only had Iranian regime officials “made it clear” it “would be unacceptable” to change the Gulf’s name, “Iranians around the world—who rarely agree on anything—were united in their condemnation of the proposal.”
Watch the clip above via Fox News.
