In Iran, both government officials and regular citizens have reacted with anger to the Oct. 13 speech made by US President Donald Trump on his new Iran strategy.
Though Trump attempted to distinguish between the Iranian people and the Iranian state, his reference to the “Arabian Gulf” instead of the “Persian Gulf” caused widespread outrage among ordinary Iranians, with #NeverTrustUSA trending on Twitter.
The term Arabian Gulf was first used by pan-Arab movements in Iraq in the 1960s and then by nationalist Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser in reaction to Tehran’s siding with Israel in its conflicts with Arab states.
Shortly after Trump’s speech, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani gave a televised address in which he slammed the US president, urging him to be ethical and polite.
On Oct. 14, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif joined Rouhani in condemning Trump’s speech.