USAF photograph of Kuwaiti oil fires, set by the retreating Iraqi army during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

The Persian Gulf War (August 2, 1990 ??February 28, 1991), commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from thirty-four nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of the State of Kuwait.

This war is commonly known as Operation Desert Storm, the First Gulf War, Gulf War I, or the Iraq War.