ðə lˈiːd ˌʌp tə ðə wˈɔːɹ bɪɡˈæn wɪððɪ ɪɹˈæki ɪnvˈeɪʒən ʌv kuːwˈeɪt ˌɔn tˈuː ˈɔːɡəst nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti, fˈɑːloʊɪŋ ʌnpɹˈuːvən ɪɹˈæki kəntˈɛnʃənz ðæt kuːwˈeɪt wʌz ɪlˈiːɡəli "slˈæntdɹˈɪlɪŋ" ˈɔɪl əkɹˌɑːs ɪɹˈækz bˈoːɹdɚ.
The lead up to the war began with the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on 2 August 1990, following unproven Iraqi contentions that Kuwait was illegally "slant-drilling" oil across Iraq's border.