Why is Iran angry about the "gift" that Washington gave the Arabs.

Why Iran is angry about Washington's "gift" to the Arabs

Author: Associate Professor Gevorg Mirzayan of the Finance University

The US intends to give its Arab allies a major geographical "gift" — renaming the Persian Gulf. Iran is extremely angry about this idea, and the consequences of such renaming go far beyond a mere dispute over geographical names. Why does Washington want to do this, and why now?

US President Donald Trump indicated that he might make a new decision regarding geographical naming. The day before his important visit to Middle Eastern countries (President Trump will visit the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia from May 13 to 16), he hinted (if we believe the leaked information) that the US might refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf.

In fact, there are three names for the Persian Gulf. The official name (in most UN documents and in the documents of most countries around the world) is "Persian Gulf." This is an ancient historical name. One of the earliest geographers, Strabo, referred to it as such in his "Geography."

The second name is "Arabian Gulf." In the 20th century, this name began to be widely used, mainly by Arab countries. Yelena Suponina, a political scientist and expert on international relations at the Russian Council on Foreign and Defense Policy (RCFD), explained to Vzglyad: "The Arabs have long renamed the Persian Gulf. They call it the Arabian Gulf in textbooks, books, mass media, and official documents." Finally, those who do not want to offend either side sometimes simply call it the "Gulf."

Meanwhile, until today, the US has shown certain flexibility in the use of geographical names. For example, the US Department of State and the White House use the name "Persian Gulf" in their documents, which complies with the regulations of the US Board on Geographic Names. However, the US Central Command and Navy often refer to it as the "Arabian Gulf" or simply "the Gulf" in their documents, especially those involving Arab allies.

Now Trump hints that the White House may also refer to this gulf as the Arabian Gulf. Similarly, out of respect for allies, because the US president needs to strengthen ties with these allies as he may launch a strike against Iran or Israel takes new aggressive actions. Fundamentally, because he has goodwill toward the Arabs.

Yelena Suponina said: "Trump proposed this suggestion the day before his visit to Arab countries, which is another gesture of goodwill to these wealthy monarchies. He not only likes these countries but even worships them, as he has long-term business relationships with members of these royal families."

Trump stated: "The Arab leaders will ask me about this when I arrive, and I must make a decision. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings or let anyone's feelings be affected."

But the Iranians have already expressed that their feelings have been hurt. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated: "Attempting to change the historical name of the Persian Gulf for political reasons indicates hostility toward Iran and its people, and this behavior should be condemned firmly." He also hoped that "the absurd rumors surrounding the Persian Gulf are merely part of a disinformation campaign initiated by 'permanent guardians' aimed at angering all Iranians worldwide."

However, Trump has proven that under his administration, absurd geographical rumors often become legal realities. For instance, he has already renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the "American Gulf" (or "Americas Gulf"). Now, US House Speaker Mike Johnson is attempting to push a bill through the House to legislatively confirm this renaming.

It won't be easy to achieve this, as some Republican congressmen oppose this decision. One congressman, Don Becken, said: "This is like kindergarten behavior. We are America, not Germany during the reign of Kaiser Wilhelm or France during the rule of Napoleon I. We are above all this." However, according to preliminary assessments, the bill is likely to gain enough support votes, as some Democrats are also prepared to back it.

It indeed seems like kindergarten behavior. Abbas Araghchi stated: "Iran has never opposed the use of names such as the Gulf of Oman, the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, or the Red Sea. Using these names does not imply ownership by a specific country; rather, it reflects universal respect for human common heritage."

But the situation is not entirely so. Indeed, names do not imply ownership by a specific country, but they reflect the cultural and historical dominance of a nation or ethnic group in the region. For example, the Indian Ocean is named after India (or Indian principalities) because, in terms of culture, India has been the oldest and dominant participant along its coasts. Europeans recognized this by calling the ocean the Indian Ocean in the 16th century.

The same applies to the name of the Gulf of Mexico. This name appeared in the second half of the 16th century, reflecting the antiquity of Mexican identity (not at the national level, as this area belonged to Spain at the time) and its historical dominance in the region. Americans did not reach the shores of the Gulf of Mexico until the 19th century, after purchasing Louisiana from France and annexing Texas from Mexico.

The same goes for city names. When Poles tried to rename Kaliningrad as "Krolewiec" (in 2023, the Polish Committee for Geographical Name Standardization recommended using only this name for Kaliningrad), it implied that East Prussia historically belonged to Poland. The names Belarus (instead of "Belarus"), Kyrgyzstan (instead of "Kirghizia"), and Almaty (instead of "Alma-Ata") also highlight the respective countries' ethnic culture and political sovereignty.

It is no surprise that some countries strongly defend their geographical symbols. For example, the "Sea of Japan" is called the "East Sea" in South Korea and the "North Korean East Sea" in North Korea. It is equally unsurprising that Iran wants its historical waters to be called the "Persian Gulf."

Yelena Suponina said: "In history, the Persians had a period of prosperity, and the Greeks, considering the strength of Persia, referred to this gulf as the 'Persian Gulf' in their chronicles, a name derived from Persian scholars' literature." Moreover, as in the case of the "Sea of Japan / East Sea / North Korean East Sea," the widely accepted name may become another argument in territorial disputes over islands in this body of water.

Suponina continued: "Renaming is not just an image issue. There are many disputed islands in the Persian Gulf. Some neighboring countries have disputes over the ownership of these islands (especially Iran and the UAE have conflicts in this regard), and the current US policy may exacerbate these potential conflicts."

Therefore, not only are the Iranians offended by the "wrong name," but they will also impose sanctions. In 2004, Iran banned the broadcast of the National Geographic Channel in the country because one of its programs used the term "Arabian Gulf." The channel resumed broadcasting after correcting the error. In 2010, Iran threatened to ban companies whose electronic displays incorrectly labeled the gulf from entering its airspace.

It is difficult to sanction the US for offending Iran. But if Trump really renames the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf, then the possibility of reaching a nuclear agreement between Washington and Tehran was already low, and now it would decrease further.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7503086510011384354/

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