Facts About Gulf War

What Was the Gulf War?

The Gulf War (1990–1991), also known as the Persian Gulf War or Operation Desert Storm, was a major international conflict triggered by Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait. It was fought between Iraq and a coalition of 35 countries led by the United States.

On August 2, 1990, Iraq’s dictator Saddam Hussein ordered his army to invade and occupy Kuwait, its small, oil-rich neighbor. The invasion was swift — Iraq seized Kuwait in just two days and formally annexed it as Iraq’s "19th Province."

Why Iraq Invaded Kuwait

Iraq invaded Kuwait because of unpaid debts, oil disputes, and a desire to seize Kuwait’s wealth and territory. The UN and a U.S.-led coalition launched a military campaign to push Iraq out and restore Kuwait’s independence.

Oil production & prices: Iraq accused Kuwait of overproducing oil, which drove down global oil prices. This cost Iraq billions of dollars in lost revenue at a time when it was deeply in debt.

Unpaid war debts: During the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988), Iraq borrowed heavily from Kuwait — roughly $14 billion. After the war, Iraq demanded that Kuwait cancel this debt, claiming Kuwait had lent money to support a war that protected the whole region. Kuwait refused.

Border & territory dispute: Iraq also claimed Kuwait was stealing Iraqi oil from the Rumaila oil field (which spanned their shared border) by drilling slant wells into Iraqi territory. Iraq had long disputed the exact border, viewing Kuwait as historically part of Iraq.

Oil

Iraq actually had slightly MORE oil than Kuwait at the time. Combined, they would have held roughly 20% of the entire world's known oil reserves — making Iraq the undisputed #1 oil power on Earth. That was the prize.

Iraq had huge reserves but no money. Oil underground cannot pay debts or buy weapons. Seizing Kuwait meant: erase $14B debt + take $97B barrels + grab Kuwait's cash reserves = instant financial recovery.

Rank	Country	Billion Barrels	Share of World	Main Type
1 🇻🇪	Venezuela	~304	~17.2%	Extra-heavy oil (Orinoco Belt)
2 🇸🇦	Saudi Arabia	~267	~15.1%	Conventional crude (light, low-cost)
3 🇮🇷	Iran	~209	~11.8%	Conventional crude
4 🇨🇦	Canada	~163	~9.2%	Oil sands (heavy crude)
5 🇮🇶	Iraq	~145	~8.2%	Conventional crude

Sources: OPEC Annual Statistical Bulletin 2026, Worldometer, Energy Institute — figures are proven reserves (economically recoverable with current technology).

Venezuela's oil is mostly extra-heavy crude — thick, expensive to extract and refine ($15–25/barrel). Political instability and sanctions also limit production.

Canada's reserves come from oil sands — strip-mined or steamed out — also costly and slower to produce.

Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq hold conventional crude — flows freely from the ground, cheap to extract ($3–10/barrel), high quality, and ready to ship immediately.

So Iraq at #5 with ~145 billion barrels — and Kuwait at #7 with ~102 billion — together they would have ~247 billion barrels, putting them ahead of Saudi Arabia. That was exactly Saddam's dream: merge Iraq + Kuwait = become the #2 oil power on Earth, and control nearly 1/4 of the world's conventional oil.

Rank	Country	Proven Reserves	Daily Production	⏳ Years Remaining
1 🇻🇪	Venezuela	304 billion bbl	~934,000 bbl/day	~800+ years
2 🇸🇦	Saudi Arabia	267 billion bbl	~9.6 million bbl/day	~76–77 years
3 🇮🇷	Iran	209 billion bbl	~3.1–3.4 million bbl/day	~168–184 years
4 🇨🇦	Canada	163 billion bbl	~5.8 million bbl/day	~79–90 years
5 🇮🇶	Iraq	145 billion bbl	~4.4 million bbl/day	~89–92 years

Plus — Kuwait (ranked #6–7): ~103 years — very long-lasting too!