Inter Milan causes stir among Arab, Iranian fans with Mehdi Taremi 'Persian Gulf' video

Italian Serie A champions Inter Milan removed an introduction video for new signing Mehdi Taremi after Arab fans expressed anger at the use of the phrase 'Persian Gulf' to refer to area in the Gulf.

The 'Prince of Persia'-inspired trailer was posted to the team's Instagram page on Tuesday described the Iranian striker as being "from the Persian Gulf", while showing scenes of desert landscapes and ancient monuments.

The term — mentioned by ancient Greek geographer Ptolemy  — is used by the United Nations and on international maps to refer to the stretch of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran.

Arab states, particularly the Gulf monarchies that are arch rivals of Iran, call it the "Arabian Gulf".

Some social media users highlighted that the use of the phrase was particularly controversial given that Qatar Airways, the state airline of Qatar, is Inter Milan's main kit sponsor and airline partner.

Following backlash from Arab fans, the team removed the video from their social media feeds.

The video's removal prompted a second wave of backlash from Iranian fans, who expressed their anger at the decision.

On X, Iranian accounts began flooding the team's mentions with a similarly-worded message on the historical use of the term.

"Hi @Inter, Persian Gulf is the undisputed historic name of the body of water south of the Iranian plateau. It is believed that the name Persian Gulf is derived from the first ancient Persia empire - the Achaemenid Empire, in 550 BC," the widely-shared post read.

Social media users also inundated the comments on the team's Instagram page, asserting the use of the term 'Persian Gulf'.

"The Persian Gulf will remain Persian," read one of thousands of comments — many with racial and nationalistic messages — posted to Inter's page.

The backlash prompted the team to restore the video to Instagram, though it remains removed on X.

Taremi, 31, joined Inter Milan on a free transfer earlier in July from Portuguese side FC Porto, becoming the first ever Iranian to play for the Serie A giants.