Iranians have a vulgar nickname for Starmer
Many British voters have had a few choice words for Sir Keir Starmer – but in Iran, the Prime Minister is unable to avoid a rather unfortunate nickname. To millions of Persian speakers, his first name sounds remarkably similar to a vulgar term for a penis. The word کیر – transliterated as “kir” – is one of the language’s most commonly used obscenities. The linguistic similarity, long noted by Iranian diaspora communities, has sparked a wave of mockery on social media since the outbreak of the Iran war. Sir Keir’s perceived passivity during escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf has given Iranian users fresh ammunition, and they have used his name as a punchline for their criticism. “From his name, you can tell what kind of man he is,” one user wrote on X. While the joke predates the Iran war, the volume increased in the past month, and peaked this week when Sir Keir declared that Britain would not take part in any blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The Prime Minister’s widely shared …






