At the height of his power in August 1990, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein made a catastrophic blunder — he invaded Kuwait. Just two years earlier, in 1988, Saddam had emerged from a grueling eight-year war with Iran, a conflict that had drained both nations.

During that war, the West largely backed Saddam, viewing him as a counterbalance to Ayatollah Khomeini, who had overthrown the pro-Western Shah and sparked a radical Shia revolution. But when Saddam turned his ambitions toward the oil-rich kingdom of Kuwait, he found himself isolated — no allies, no support, only global condemnation.

Iran finds itself dangerously exposed, as Israeli jets roam freely from the Mediterranean to the Arabian Sea.

Israel vs Iran: What Will Khamenei Choose in This Dangerous Deadlock?

At the height of his power in August 1990, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein made a catastrophic blunder — he invaded Kuwait. Just two years earlier, in 1988, Saddam had emerged from a grueling eight-year war with Iran, a conflict that had drained both nations.

During that war, the West largely backed Saddam, viewing him as a counterbalance to Ayatollah Khomeini, who had overthrown the pro-Western Shah and sparked a radical Shia revolution. But when Saddam turned his ambitions toward the oil-rich kingdom of Kuwait, he found himself isolated — no allies, no support, only global condemnation.