Another provocation from Trump, Iran bares its teeth

Iran has responded angrily following U.S. media reports claiming that Donald Trump wants to rename the Persian Gulf the “Arabian Gulf” ahead of an upcoming trip to the Middle East.

The former U.S. president is expected to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates to discuss potential investments, but the naming controversy has further strained already tense relations between Tehran and Washington.

Trump had previously stirred controversy by suggesting renaming the Gulf of Mexico the “American Gulf,” a move ridiculed by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi criticized the reported name change, calling it “politically motivated” and a hostile gesture toward the Iranian people.

“Let’s hope that the absurd rumors about the PERSIAN Gulf that are going around are no more than a disinformation campaign by 'forever warriors' to anger Iranians all over the world and agitate them. I am confident that @realdonaldtrump is aware that the name PERSIAN Gulf is centuries old, recognized by all cartographers and international bodies, and was even used by all regional leaders in official communications until as recently as the 1960s,” Araghchi wrote on X.

Iran and the United States are currently in stalled negotiations over a renewed nuclear agreement, with no breakthrough so far.

(QG - Source: Newsweek — Picture : © Unsplash)