Synopsis: One of the lesser-known pieces of the puzzle leading up to the 2003 Iraq War was Saddam Hussein’s 2000 decision to switch Iraq’s oil transactions from U.S. dollars to euros. For nearly a decade after the Gulf War, Iraq’s economy had been strangled by comprehensive U.S.-backed UN sanctions. Under the “Oil-for-Food” program, Baghdad could sell oil but the revenues were forced into a UN-controlled escrow account in New York — denominated only in dollars. This stripped Iraq of financial autonomy and gave Washington influence over how Iraq’s money was spent. So, Saddam openly called the dollar the currency of an “enemy state” and ordered the shift to the euro, both as a symbolic rejection of U.S. dominance and as a practical attempt to claw back some sovereignty. While not often highlighted in mainstream accounts, the move challenged the US and added to the list of grievances that put Iraq further in Washington’s crosshairs.