Iraq and Iran Parliament Speakers Clash Online Over Naming Dispute of the Gulf

Iraq's Parliament Speaker Haibat Al Halbousi has engaged in a public social media dispute with his Iranian counterpart regarding the naming of the Arabian Gulf, just a day after the two officials met in Baghdad.

The online disagreement began when Iran's Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf posted an image on Wednesday evening showing himself in front of a regional map that used the Iranian term Persian Gulf. In response on Thursday, Iraq's Mr Al Halbousi shared a nearly identical mocked-up image that explicitly labeled the body of water as the Arabian Gulf.

The term Arabian Gulf has been officially adopted by Arab states since the 1960s. This ongoing sensitivity over the sea and its crucial shipping lanes has heightened during the current US-Iran war.

During their face-to-face meeting in Baghdad, both parliamentary leaders discussed related regional issues. Mr Al Halbousi formally requested a special status for Iraq to facilitate continued oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz.

Naming disputes over the waterway are not new. US President Donald Trump and previous US administrations have previously used the term Arabian Gulf, sparking frustration from Iran. In 2012, Iran threatened legal action against Google over map labeling, and in 2023, Iran summoned the Iraqi ambassador after prime minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani used the term Arabian Gulf during a football tournament in Basra.

Caught between powerful regional dynamics, Iraq navigates both Iranian and American influence. While Mr Al Halbousi referenced the nature of the relationship between Iraq and Iran during oil export discussions, the Iraqi government is simultaneously working to limit the influence of pro-Iran militias, setting a deadline of September 30 for armed factions to disarm.