US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump plans to announce on his trip to Saudi Arabia next week that the US will start to refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia.

Arab nations have pushed for a change to the geographic name of the body of water off the southern coast of Iran, while Iran has maintained its historic ties to the gulf.

The US officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. The White House and National Security Council did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Persian Gulf has been widely known by that name since the 16th century, although use of Gulf of Arabia and Arabian Gulf is dominant in many countries in the Middle East.

The government of Iran — formerly Persia — threatened to sue Google in 2012 over the company’s decision not to label the body of water at all on its maps.

On Google Maps in the US, the body of water appears as Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf). Apple Maps only says the Persian Gulf.

Mr Trump can change the name for official US purposes, but he cannot dictate what the rest of the world calls it.

The International Hydrographic Organisation — of which the United States is a member — works to ensure all the world’s seas, oceans and navigable waters are surveyed and charted uniformly, and also names some of them.

There are instances where countries refer to the same body of water or landmark by different names in their own documentation.

In addition to Saudi Arabia, Trump is also set to visit Doha, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, which also lie on the body of water.

Originally planned as the president’s first trip overseas since he took office in January, it comes as Trump has tried to draw closer to the Gulf countries as he seeks their financial investment in the US and support in regional conflicts, including resolving the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and limiting Iran’s advancing nuclear programme.

The president also has significant financial ties to the countries through his personal businesses, over which he has retained ownership from the Oval Office.

The move comes several months after Trump said the US would refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.

The Associated Press sued the Trump administration earlier this year after the White House barred its journalists from covering most events because of the organisation’s decision not to follow the president’s executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America within the United States.

US District Judge Trevor N McFadden, an appointee of Trump, ruled last month the First Amendment protects the Associated Press from government retaliation over its word choice and ordered the outlet’s access to be reinstated.