this post was submitted on 01 Feb 2026
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In August 2000, Iraq switched to selling oil in euros instead of dollars. Within two years, Iraq ~~was responsible for 9/11~~ had weapons of mass destruction.
Two things of note came in the wake of the absolute clusterfuck of replacing Saddam Hussein. Iraq brought back the death penalty, and started selling oil in dollars again.
Linking the invasion of Iraq with their selling oil in Euros makes no sense at all.
Maintenance of the petrodollar has long been a core US geopolitical concern
To some extent but it's really not that important. Oil gets traded for all kinds of things besides dollars, it's never been so big a deal that the US would engineer a very dumb war over it. Maybe there were some for whom it was a motivating factor in their support for attacking Iraq, but by and large the animating force was not concern about what currency Iraqi oil exports are traded for. It makes no real difference to anything, it's not significant.
I'm not sold on the Iraq invasion being about Iraq selling oil not in USD, but you're drastically underplaying the significance of the petrodollar, especially 20 years ago.
What was the animating force for the invasion?
It's complicated to explain but the easiest summary is "neoconservative ideology" and a certain kind of postmodern imperialism that came to dominate US elite culture following 9/11. Read up on PNAC if you want to dig into it more.
https://gulfnews.com/business/energy/un-says-iraq-switch-to-euros-would-be-costly-1.433781
After the invasion it switched back to the us dollar. https://medium.com/%40gsaidheeraj/from-saddam-to-maduro-the-hidden-cost-of-pricing-oil-beyond-the-dollar-2b9e373cc944
It's certainly a coincidence. I'm sure it's not a justification for war, or even a threat of war.