Iran-Iraq Relations prior and after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iraqi-Iranian relations refer to the bilateral relationship between Iraq and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The history of both states stretches back thousands of years. Iran and Iraq share a long border (the longest border between either nation), and both states today have Shia majorities. Modern relations between the two countries began with Iraq's independence in 1930. After the coup d'état in Iraq on July 14, 1958, and the subsequent overthrow of the Hashemite monarchy, which led to the country's withdrawal from the Baghdad Pact, relations between the two countries increasingly deteriorated. In the 1960s, the Ba'ath Party came to power in Iraq and adopted a more aggressive stance regarding Iraqi territorial claims in Iran. Following the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Saddam Hussein launched an invasion of Iran in the hopes of seizing the oil-rich areas of western Iran. The conflict lasted eight years and ended in a stalemate and a ceasefire. After the 2003 Iraq War and the overthrow of Saddam, Iran became an influential player in Iraqi domestic politics, primarily through its support and funding of pro-Iranian Shiite groups. Growing Iranian influence has also led to protests, for example, against the presence of Iranian-backed armed militias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]