Iran Foreign Ministry summons Iraqi envoy over use of fake name for Persian Gulf

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has summoned Baghdad’s Ambassador to Tehran to lodge a strong protest over the use of a fake name for the Persian Gulf in the title of an Arab soccer event hosted by the Iraqi city of Basra.

Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said Wednesday, “Although we have strategic, brotherly and deep relations with Iraq, we have clearly expressed our objection to this issue.”

“We called in the Iraqi ambassador to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the Iraqi authorities used a fake name for the Persian Gulf, and we reflected the sensitivity of the great nation of Iran to the use of the exact and complete term for the Persian Gulf to the Iraqi side,” he added.

He said Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani corrected the mistake in an article recently published online.

The 25th edition of the Persian Gulf Cup kicked off Friday in Basra with the participation of teams from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the UAE.

The event was named the “Arabian Gulf Cup 2023,” severely hurting the Iranian nation’s patriotic feelings and drawing a sharp rebuke from Tehran.

Using the fake name for the Persian Gulf is seen in Iran as a futile attempt by the Arab neighbors to distort the region’s ancient history.

Iran’s Football Federation (FFIRI) also announced that it will complain to FIFA over the move.

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