Under the 1975 Algiers Agreement, Iraq ceded 518 km2 of oil-rich borderlands along the Shatt al-Arab in exchange for an Iranian agreement to stop supporting Kurdish rebels in Iraq. But after the fall of Muhammad Reza Shah Pahlevi which resulted in a weak Iranian military, Iraq decided to reclaim the Shatt al Arab. By 1979, however, Saddam Hussein had clawed his way to the top of the ruling junta of Iraq and took advantage of the chaos unleashed by the recent Iranian Revolution to shift the disputed border back in Iraq's favor, with the excuse being that the predominantly Arab population...

• Word Count: 2748
• Approx Pages: 11
• Grade Level: High School