Why did Saddam Hussein attack Iran?

Answer 1

There are several reasons why Saddam Hussein invaded Iran in 1980, including:

• Oil-rich regions along the border and access to the Persian Gulf.
• Religion: Saddam Hussein was a Secular Sunni and Ruhollah Khomeini was a Fundamental (Usuli) Shiite
• Government: Ba'athist State vs. Islamic Republic
• Nationalism / Power
• The two countries had a long history of border disputes, going right back to when the countries were the kingdoms of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) and Persia (Iran).
• Iraq wanted the new and unstable Iranian government to fall.
• Saddam Hussein sought domination of the Middle East.
• Radical Islam threatened to spread into Iraq from Iran.
• Iraq was aiming to replace Iran as the dominant Persian Gulf state
• Saddam Hussein wanted to annex the Ahwaz Arabs (who were under Persian Occupation in Iran)

Answer 2

Some of the major causes of the Iran-Iraq War include:

• Iraq's military invasion of Iranian territory on September 22, 1980.
• Oil-rich regions along the border and access to the Persian Gulf.
• Religion: Saddam Hussein was a Secular Sunni and Ruhollah Khomeini was a Fundamentalist (Usuli) Shiite
• Government: Ba'athist State vs. Islamic Republic
• Nationalism / Power
• The two countries had a long history of border disputes, going right back to when the countries were the kingdoms of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) and Persia (Iran).
• Iraq wanted the new and unstable Iranian government to fall.
• Saddam Hussein sought domination of the Middle East.
• Radical Islam threatened to spread into Iraq from Iran.
• Territorial disputes between Iran & Iraq.
• Iraq was aiming to replace Iran as the dominant Persian Gulf state
• Saddam Hussein wanted to annex the Ahwaz Arabs (who were under Persian Occupation in Iran)