Tehran, IRNA – Former Vice President for Strategic Affairs Mohammad-Javad Zarif has warned against any attempt by the United States to misname the Persian Gulf, stating that such a fabrication would anger every patriotic Iranian.
“For the sake of Iran, we will show the world and the occupants of the White House that Iranians, united and speaking with one voice, will not tolerate this short-sighted commercialism,” Zarif wrote in Persian on his X account on Wednesday.
“What is being heard about the use of a fictitious name for the Persian Gulf will anger every patriotic Iranian, regardless of their orientation,” he said, emphasizing the urgency of taking immediate action, as “tomorrow may be too late for this patriotic solidarity.”
The Associated Press, citing two officials, reported that U.S. President Donald Trump plans to announce during an upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia that the U.S. will refer to the Persian Gulf as “the Arabian Gulf.”
This is not the first time Trump has sparked controversy over the matter. During his first term in 2017, he attempted a similar move, prompting then-President Hassan Rouhani to advise his American counterpart to “study geography.”
Zarif, who was foreign minister at the time, famously said, “Everyone knew Trump’s friendship was for sale to the highest bidder. We now know that his geography is, too.”
For centuries, the Persian Gulf has been the geographic name for the body of water off Iran’s southern coast, as referenced in Greek, Latin, Arabic, and Persian texts, as well as in medieval historical and geographical records.
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