Iran–Iraq War
The Pan-Islamic nature of the new Iranian state was in contrast with the Arab nationalist context of Iraq. After the establishment of the Islamic Republic in Iran, the secular yet authoritarian rule of Hussein felt threatened. A large Persian state posed a threat against the Pan-Arab ideology of Hussein. The Shia Muslims in Iraq were already posing a threat to Saddam by protesting and mobilizing against the Ba'ath regime. This only became worse after the Iranian revolutionaries called upon Iraqis also to initiate a revolution. Other than these political threats, Iraq was in a more fragile position geographically.