A country of southwest Asia. Site of the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, the region later fell to the Persians (6th century BC), Greeks (4th century BC), Arabs (7th century), and Ottoman Turks (16th century). Iraq became a kingdom under a British mandate in 1921, achieved independence in 1932, and became a republic in 1958. The Baathist regime of Saddam Hussein invaded Iran (1980), triggering an eight-year war, and occupied Kuwait (1990) until forced to withdraw in the Gulf War. In the Iraq War, a US-led coalition overthrew Hussein (2003) and established a new government. Baghdad is the capital and largest city. See Usage Note at Iran.