Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE and Oman border the gulf from the North , the West and the South while Iran borders it from the East and the North. President Trump will announce during his upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar that the US will rename the Gulf the Arabian Gulf instead of the Persian Gulf . The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea. and is connected to the Gulf of Oman. It is an inland sea of some 251,000 square kilometres (96,912 sq mi). While iran has been calling it the Persian Gulf the Arabs have always been referring to it as the Arabian Gulf . The total length of the coastline is 5117 Km (3180 miles) . Iran’s coastline is 1536 km (955 miles) while the coastline of the Arab countries is 3581 km (2225 Miles .
Highlights
- The name of the body of water has long been a point of contention for many Arab countries, who call it the Arabian Gulf or Gulf of Arabia.
- Google maps labels the region “Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf),” while Apple Maps and major U.S. news outlets, including NBC News and The Associated Press, call it the Persian Gulf.
- Iran, home of the former Persian empire, threatened in 2012 to sue Google for not naming the body of water altogether on its maps.
Beirut- President Donald Trump’s administration reportedly plans to announce that the U.S. will officially call the Persian Gulf the Arabian Gulf or Gulf of Arabia, a move that would be welcomed by Arab Gulf leaders and likely draw anger from Iran.
The development was reported by The Associated Press, citing two unnamed U.S. officials, and is set to be timed for Trump’s Middle East visit on May 13 to 16, during which time he will make stops in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
The name of the body of water — a major shipping lane sitting between Iran’s southern coast and the coastlines of Arab countries Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE , Qatar and Oman — has long been a point of contention, with several Arab states having spent years pushing for a change from Persian to Arabian Gulf. The area has been most widely called the Persian Gulf since roughly the 1700s, though it’s referred to as the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Arabia in many Arab countries.
U.S. Central Command in its publications and statements uses the name Gulf of Arabia, while the State Department and CIA have thus far used Persian Gulf.
Google maps labels the region “Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf),” while Apple Maps and major U.S. news outlets, including NBC News and The Associated Press, call it the Persian Gulf.
Iran, home of the former Persian empire, threatened in 2012 to sue Google for not naming the body of water altogether on its maps.
The White House did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment. The Trump administration has been engaged in indirect talks with Iranian officials over Iran’s nuclear program.
Soon
“We might be doing that, yeah,” Trump said. “And it will be announced soon.”
Trump is preparing for his first major diplomatic trip next week that includes a three-country Middle East tour that begins in Saudi Arabia.
Trump has made improving ties with some countries in the region a key goal of his administration
Such a move by Trump would be welcomed by Arab Gulf leaders and likely draw anger from Iran.
The map clearly shows that the Coastline bordering the Arabian countries far exceeds that of Iran . The Arabs have 70 % 2225 Miles while Iran has 30% 955 miles. The total coastline is 3180 miles
NBC/Reuters/Ya Libnan