Iran warns US against renaming Persian Gulf

“Disturbed to learn that Iranian citizens have reportedly been arrested by UK security services,” Araghchi said in a post on X. “If credible allegations of misconduct are established, Iran stands ready to assist investigations. We call on UK to ensure respect for our citizens' rights and afford them due process.”

Earlier, Alireza Yousefi Director General for Western Europe at Iran’s Foreign Ministry said Tehran expected British authorities to respect legal norms.

“We call for immediate and accurate information to be given to Iran regarding the reasons for the arrests,” Yousefi said. “Access to consular services must be granted, and the principles of fair trial must be upheld.”

He added that the timing and nature of the accusations raised “serious concerns about political motives” behind the detentions.

Seven Iranian nationals are among eight men arrested in two major counter-terrorism operations carried out separately on Saturday by the UK’s Counter Terrorism Command.

According to the Metropolitan Police, five of the arrests were part of a pre-planned investigation into an alleged plot to target a specific premises. Authorities say some of those detained remain in custody.

Following the arrests, Labour MPs renewed calls for the government to formally proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization. They argue the IRGC’s role in transnational repression and terror plots poses a direct threat to UK national security.

The arrests come as UK intelligence services have continued to warn of sustained threats linked to Iran.

In October, MI5 Director General Ken McCallum said authorities had disrupted 20 “potentially deadly” plots tied to Tehran since January 2022.

“Iranian state actors make extensive use of criminals as proxies—from international drug traffickers to low-level crooks,” McCallum said in a public statement.

Cecile Kohler, a 40-year-old literature teacher, and her partner Jacques Paris, in his 70s, were arrested on May 7, 2022, during a tourist trip to Iran.

Both Paris and Kohler were subject to inhumane detention conditions including forced false confessions on state TV.

Several Europeans are being held by Tehran, which France and other European nations consider a strategy of hostage-taking to gain concessions.

"I assure their families that our support is unwavering," Macron wrote on social media platform X, referring to the couple as "hostages."

According to their families, Kohler and Paris are being held in extremely difficult conditions.

Kohler's sister, Noemie, who leads the campaign for their release, said the couple are becoming increasingly desperate and losing hope.

In March, French citizen Olivier Grondeau was released from 887 days in detention in Iran.

France has denied the spying charges against its citizens and demanded their immediate release.

Iran’s foreign ministry said the timing and location of the next round of indirect talks with the United States remain under discussion and will be announced by Omani mediators once finalized.

“No definitive date has been set yet, but Oman’s proposal for early next week is under review,” ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told IRNA.

Talks were initially scheduled for May 3 in Rome but were postponed. Baghaei said Tehran remains committed to a “results-oriented dialogue” to end sanctions and uphold the “country’s nuclear rights.”

Iran still considers Donald Trump its top assassination target, according to former US national security adviser John Bolton, who said Tehran maintains a list of current and former American officials marked for revenge.

Bolton, speaking on a podcast hosted by Sky News’ Yalda Hakim, said Iran's “terror network is really quite extensive in Europe and the United States,” and warned of Tehran’s persistent intent to avenge the killing of Qassem Soleimani, the IRGC commander slain in a 2020 US drone strike ordered by Trump.

The US Justice Department in 2022 charged Iranian national Shahram Poursafi with attempting to hire a hitman—who turned out to be an FBI informant—to kill Bolton.

The move, which comes amid a broader effort to deepen ties with Persian Gulf Arab states, marks a break with long-standing international convention, prompting sharp rebuke from Iran, which shares the longest coastline along the body of water.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the reported decision politically motivated and historically inaccurate, saying, “The name Persian Gulf, like many geographical designations, is deeply rooted in human history.”

"Politically motivated attempts to alter the historically established name of the Persian Gulf are indicative of hostile intent toward Iran and its people, and are firmly condemned. Such biased actions are an affront to all Iranians, regardless of their background or place of residence,” Iran's top diplomat said on X.

Two US officials familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the announcement would be made while Trump visits Riyadh as part of a regional tour that includes Qatar and the United Arab Emirates—countries that have long pushed for the geographic name change.

“The president is expected to unveil what he calls a ‘historic reorientation’ of US nomenclature to better reflect regional alliances,” one of the officials said.

Trump himself teased a major announcement during a meeting at the White House on Tuesday. “It’ll be one of the most important announcements that have been made in many years about a certain subject, a very important subject,” he said.

Known globally as the Persian Gulf since at least the 16th century, the name of the inland sea has become a politically and culturally charged issue. Arab states often use “Arabian Gulf” in official documents and maps, while Iran considers the historical term a matter of national identity.

“The Persian Gulf is not just a name. It is part of who we are,” an Iranian diplomat in Tehran said on condition of anonymity. “Changing it under pressure from petrodollars will not erase thousands of years of history.”

In 2017, during Trump's first administration, his first reference to what he called the "Arabian Gulf" led to public backlash from Tehran.

The Iranian foreign minister at the time, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said: “Everyone knew Trump’s friendship was for sale to the highest bidder. We now know that his geography is, too.”

Iran’s then-president, Hassan Rouhani, also criticized the phrasing, saying Trump should “study geography.”

The US military has unilaterally used “Arabian Gulf” in communications for years, but the White House’s official adoption of the term would represent a new level of endorsement, likely increasing tensions with Tehran.

Under international maritime law, the designation of sea names is handled by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), which currently recognizes the body of water as the “Persian Gulf.” The United Nations and most world maps do the same.

While Trump can direct US federal agencies to use a different name, he cannot enforce the change globally. Congressional legislation would be required to make the shift permanent in US law, and a future administration could easily reverse it.

“Trump can rename it on White House letterhead, but that won’t change global consensus,” said Lisa Barry, a professor of international law at Georgetown University.

The renaming announcement is part of a broader push to align more closely with Persian Gulf Arab monarchies as Trump seeks increased investment from the region and backing for his policies on Iran and Israel.

The announcement also follows a controversial decision earlier this year to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” in US government usage—a move that led to a legal battle with the Associated Press.

A federal judge ultimately ruled that the AP could not be denied access to government events for refusing to adopt the administration’s preferred terminology, citing First Amendment protections.

The inland sea in question spans about 251,000 square kilometers (97,000 square miles) and borders eight nations: Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Oman. Iran alone accounts for more than 1,600 kilometers (1,000 miles) of its coastline.

Trump is scheduled to travel to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE from May 13 to 16. The announcement is expected to be made during a keynote speech in Riyadh, though officials said the precise timing remains fluid.