The Iraqi Flag Law No. 28 of 1963 was replaced by Flag Law No. 33 of 1986, during the presidency of Saddam Hussein, in which although the flag remained the same, the meaning of the three stars was changed from their original geographic meaning to representations of the three tenets of the Ba'ath Party motto: wahda, hurriyah, ishtirakiyah (unity, freedom and socialism).
Iracká vlajka bola nahradená vlajkou (zákonom č 33 z roku 1986), v ktorom síce vlajka ostala rovnaká, význam týchto troch hviezd bol zmenený z pôvodného geografického význam motto z troch princípov strany Ba'ath: Wahda, Hurriyah, Ishtirakiyah (Jednota, sloboda, socializmus).