After the Gulf of Mexico, is the Persian Gulf next? Iranian internet users expressed intense anger after an Associated Press (AP) report published on Wednesday, May 7, claimed that Donald Trump was considering using the term "Arabian Gulf" instead of "Persian Gulf" during his trip to three countries in the region, scheduled from Monday, May 12, to Thursday, May 15. The naming of this body of water is a highly sensitive issue for many Iranians as it touches upon national pride. Hence, Iranians of all political stripes showed a rare moment of unity to condemn this potential American decision.

The anger did not subside when Trump, a few hours later, stated that no final decision had yet been made regarding a possible change of name in official American documents. The president of the United States − expected in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates − specified that a meeting would be organized on the issue before this trip. "They're going to ask me about that when I get there [in the Gulf region], and I'll have to make a decision." He added, "I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings. I don't know if feelings are going to be hurt."

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