Causes of the Iran-Iraq War: "q" or "n"
Some sources actually attribute the belligerents' different uses of the letters "q" and "n" as the single most important factor in their decision to wage war with each other. Iraq, oddly, prefers the letter "n". Just as oddly, Iran prefers the letter "q". The problem is, someone else has their preferred letter.
Other sources cite what they claim are more realistic and serious reasons, such as:
- 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.
- 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
