Iraq tangles with Iran over name of the Gulf

Iraq's Parliament Speaker Haibat Al Halbousi has sparked a social media debate with his Iranian counterpart over the name of the Arabian Gulf. After meeting in Baghdad on Wednesday, the two were found to hold opposing views online. Iran's Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf had posted an image using the term Persian Gulf on Wednesday evening.

Responding on Thursday, Iraq's Haibat Al Halbousi shared a similar image labeling the sea the Arabian Gulf. The term Arabian Gulf was officially adopted by Arab states in the 1960s and has been widely used ever since. However, control of the sea and its shipping lanes has become increasingly contentious due to the ongoing US-Iran conflict.

In their meeting, the parliament speakers discussed Iraq seeking special status to export oil through the Strait of Hormuz. Former US President Donald Trump had previously angered Iran by using the term Arabian Gulf. Iran has frequently objected to this name, including a 2012 threat of legal action against Google for omitting it from its maps.

In a 2023 naming dispute, Iran summoned Iraq's ambassador over Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani using the term Arabian Gulf to describe a football tournament in Basra. Iraq's position is influenced by both Iran and the United States. Al Halbousi mentioned the nature of Iraq's relationship with Iran when requesting special permission for oil exports, but the government also aims to limit the influence of pro-Iranian militias on its territory. These factions were given a September 30 deadline to disarm.