This is apparently, or likely, the ‘very, very big announcement’ the President Trump teased Tuesday while hosting the Canadian prime minister in the Oval Office – which made stocks briefly jump (given China trade headline anticipation and jitters) – and is expected to be fully revealed prior to his Monday trip to visit America’s Arab Gulf allies including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and UAE…
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. —CNBC
This would follow the “Gulf of America” (from Gulf of Mexico) change ushered in during the opening weeks of the Trump administration.
The key global shipping lane, and somewhat frequent geopolitical flashpoint, has actually long been subject of a naming controversy, given Arab Gulf leaders have for decades sought to change it to the “Arabian Gulf” among global usage – and frequently use it as the de facto term.
