Tehran, Karafarinane Eghtesad— Former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has warned against any attempt by the United States to rename the Persian Gulf, stating that such a fabrication would anger every patriotic Iranian.

“For Iran, we will show the world and the residents 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.

“The use of a fictitious name for the Persian Gulf will anger every patriotic Iranian, regardless of their orientation,” he noted, emphasizing the urgency of taking immediate action, as “tomorrow may be too late for this patriotic solidarity.”

The former top diplomat also reposted Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi’s response to the possibility of altering the historical name of the Persian Gulf, warning that “such biased actions are an affront to all Iranians, regardless of their background or place of residence.”

U.S. media, citing two officials, reported that President Donald Trump plans to announce that the U.S. will refer to the strategic waterway as “the Arabian Gulf” during his trip to Saudi Arabia next week.

This is not the first time Trump has sparked controversy over the Persian Gulf. During his first term in 2017, he made a similar move, prompting then-President Hassan Rouhani to advise his American counterpart to “study geography.”

Zarif famously retorted at the time, “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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