Claim: Iraq is not in the Middle East.
Evidence: Iraq -LRB- -LSB- ɪˈræk -RSB- , -LSB- ɪˈrɑːk -RSB- , or -LSB- aɪˈræk -RSB- العراق ; عێراق -RRB- , officially known as the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia , bordered by Turkey to the north , Iran to the east , Kuwait to the southeast , Saudi Arabia to the south , Jordan to the southwest , and Syria to the west.
Although the term `` Western Asia '' is mostly used as a convenient division of contemporary sovereign states into a manageable number of world regions for statistical purposes , it is sometimes used instead of the more geopolitical term `` Middle East '' , for example by the Government of Canada.
The concept is in limited use , as it significantly overlaps with the Middle East -LRB- or the Near East -RRB- , the main difference usually being the exclusion of Egypt -LRB- which would be counted as part of North Africa -RRB-.