Britain ruthlessly created a subservient Iraqi state after WWI, backing Sunni elites to control the majority Shia population. After oil was discovered in the 1920s, Britain assumed control over the new oil fields, using military force as needed.
伊拉克与英国和美国的关系也并不比伊朗融洽。一战后，英国残酷地建立了顺从的伊拉克国，支持逊尼派精英控制占多数的什叶派人口。20世纪20年代石油被发现后，英国又控制了仅有的几个油田，必要时甚至不惜动用武力。