right, there was no country called Iraq until recently. What I meant was not a political entity but a region where the modern state of Iraq resides, so you can

right, there was no country called Iraq until recently. What I meant was not a political entity but a region where the modern state of Iraq resides, so you can call it Assyria/Babylon/Roman Empire/Greek Empire/British Mandate. Same for Iran, with countless empires but the region is the same.