{
  "id": 2172513,
  "title": "Iraq tangles with Iran over name of the Gulf",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/iraq-tangles-with-iran-over-name-of-the-gulf-2172513",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-20T15:52:34.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/08/20/iraq-tangles-with-iran-over-name-of-the-gulf/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Iraq's Parliament Speaker Haibat Al Halbousi has sparked a social media dispute with his Iranian counterpart over the name of the Arabian Gulf. Following their meeting in Baghdad, the two men took opposing stances online. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf posted a photo of himself in front of a map using the Iranian term \"Persian Gulf.\" In response, Al Halbousi shared a virtually identical image labeling it the \"Arabian Gulf.\"\n\nThe term \"Arabian Gulf\" was officially adopted by Arab states in the 1960s and has since been widely used. The issue has taken on greater significance amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict, as control of the sea and its shipping lanes becomes increasingly sensitive. During their meeting, Al Halbousi requested a special status for Iraq to permit oil exports through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.\n\nIn the past, US President Donald Trump's use of the term \"Arabian Gulf\" has drawn Iranian ire, as has the stance of previous American administrations. Iran has a history of objecting to the use of its name for the body of water, most notably in 2012 when it threatened legal action against Google for omitting the name on its maps.\n\nIn a previous naming dispute with Iraq in 2023, Iran summoned Iraq's ambassador to protest Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani's use of the term \"Arabian Gulf\" to describe a football tournament in Basra. Iraq, which is influenced by both Iran and the United States, brought up the matter of nature of the relationship between the two countries when seeking special permission for oil exports. However, Iraq's government is also keen to limit the influence of pro-Iranian militias operating within its borders, a factor that has contributed to Iraq's entanglement in the regional conflict. Armed factions have been given until September 30 to disarm.",
  "summary": "Iraq's Parliament Speaker Haibat Al Halbousi has entered a social media dispute with his Iranian counterpart over the name of the Arabian Gulf. A day after they met in Baghdad , Mr Al Halbousi and Iran's Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf were on opposite sides of the argument online. Mr Ghalibaf had on Wednesday evening posted an image of himself in front of a map of the region, which used the Iranian…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "Gulf states push to break Iran deadlock and reopen Strait of Hormuz",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/gulf-states-push-to-break-iran-deadlock-and-reopen-strait-of-hormuz",
        "published": "2026-08-20T12:40:40.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "Hormuz paradox: Why flowing oil could prolong Iran war",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/hormuz-paradox-why-flowing-oil-could-prolong-iran-war",
        "published": "2026-08-20T13:31:36.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}