▁latter ' s ▁vast ▁oil ▁res erves . ▁The ▁Ira qi ▁government ▁just ified ▁its ▁invasion ▁by ▁claim ing ▁that ▁K uw ait ▁was ▁a ▁natural ▁part ▁of ▁Ira q ▁car ved ▁off ▁as ▁a ▁result ▁of ▁British ▁imperial ism . ▁After ▁signing ▁the ▁Ang lo - O tt oman ▁Convention ▁of ▁ 1 9 1 3 , ▁the ▁United ▁Kingdom ▁planned ▁to ▁split ▁K uw ait ▁from ▁the ▁Ott oman ▁territ ories ▁into ▁a ▁separate ▁she ikh dom , ▁but ▁this ▁agreement ▁was ▁never ▁rat ified . ▁The ▁Ira qi ▁government ▁also ▁argued ▁that ▁the ▁K uw ait i ▁Em ir ▁was ▁a ▁highly ▁un pop ular ▁figure ▁among ▁the ▁K uw ait i ▁popul ace . ▁By ▁over throw ing ▁the ▁Em ir , ▁Ira q ▁claimed ▁that ▁it ▁granted ▁K uw ait is ▁greater ▁economic ▁and ▁political ▁freedom . ▁ ▁K uw ait ▁had ▁been ▁lo os ely ▁under ▁the ▁authority ▁of ▁the ▁Ott oman ▁vil â y et ▁of ▁Bas ra , ▁and ▁although ▁its ▁r uling ▁dynast y , ▁the ▁Al ▁Sab ah ▁family , ▁had ▁concluded ▁a ▁prote ctor ate ▁agreement ▁in ▁ 1 8 9 9 ▁that ▁assigned ▁responsibility ▁for ▁its ▁foreign ▁affairs ▁to ▁Britain , ▁it ▁did ▁not ▁make ▁any ▁attempt ▁to ▁se ced e ▁from ▁the ▁Ott oman ▁Empire . ▁For ▁this ▁reason , ▁its ▁borders ▁with ▁the ▁rest ▁of ▁Bas ra ▁province ▁were ▁never ▁clearly ▁defined ▁or ▁mut ually ▁agreed . ▁ ▁Ira qi – U . S . ▁relations ▁ ▁On ▁