Chronology of the Kuwait Crisis
in 1990
From the Kuwait Information Office in Washington D.C.
July 31
Iraq and Kuwait begin
talks in Saudi Arabia under mediation of King Fahd on oil pricing and production as well as
Iraqi territorial claims.
August 1
Iraq walks out of talks with Kuwait. Press reports claim 120 Iraqi officers executed by firing
squads for opposing aggression against Kuwait.
August 2
Iraqi forces invade
Kuwait. The U.S. bans trade with Iraq and freezes Iraqi and Kuwaiti assets. The United
Nations Security Council passes Resolution 660, which condemns the Iraqi invasion and calls for
immediate and unconditional withdrawal from Kuwait.
August 3
Fighting continues in
Kuwait City. Iraq masses troops along the Kuwaiti-Saudi Arabian border but announces that
it will begin to withdraw its forces on 5 August. President Bush warns
Iraq not to invade Saudi Arabia offering to defend it against Iraqi attack.
Japan, West Germany, Italy, Belgium and Luxembourg freeze Iraqi and Kuwaiti assets. The
Arab League Council of Foreign Ministers votes to condemn the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
August 7
President Bush orders
deployment of U.S. troops to Saudi Arabia after receiving approval from King Fahd.
August 8
Iraq announces that
Kuwait has become its 19th province. The U.K announces it will send forces to defend Saudi
Arabia. Up to 50,000 multinational troops may be sent.
August 9
UNSC passes Resolution
662, which declares the Iraqi annexation of Kuwait “null and void”.
August 10
Iraq orders all embassies
in Kuwait closed by 24 August 1990. Arab summit passes a majority vote to send a Pan-Arab
force to Saudi Arabia alongside coalition forces. Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan
and Morocco play an integral part in passing the initiative and commit to send troops to Saudi
Arabia.
August 11
Arab world countries
from Morocco to Jordan and Yemen demonstrated against what they saw as a double standard
between Israel and Iraq.
August 12
The U.S. threatens to use
force, if necessary, to intercept trade with Iraq. Saddam Hussein makes a peace offer tied to Israel
leaving the occupied territories.
August 13
King Hussein of Jordan
meets with Saddam Hussein in Baghdad.
August 14
King Hussein flies to
Washington to meet President Bush.
August 15
Saddam Hussein offers to
meet Iran’s conditions for ending their state of war.
August 16
Iraq has about 160,000
troops in Kuwait. The U.S. navy prepares for multinational maritime intercept operations.
Bush announces Jordan will adhere to UN sponsored economic embargo of Iraq.
August 17
U.S. calls up military
reserves.
August 18
U.S. warships fire
warnings at Iraqi oil tankers. UNSC passes Resolution 664, which demands that Iraq free all
hostages taken in Kuwait.
August 19
Iraq offers to release all
foreigners if U.S. forces leave the region.
August 20
Iraq announces western
hostages will be used as human shields to deter attack. Saudi Arabia will increase oil production to
compensate for the loss of Kuwait oil.
August 22
Jordan closes its borders
with Iraq and asks the UN for economic relief. U.S. announces it will not close its embassy in
Kuwait.
August 24
Iraqi troops cut off
electricity and water for Western embassies in Kuwait City.
August 25
UNSC passes Resolution
665, which authorizes the use of force to enforce its embargo.
August 28
Saddam Hussein allows
all women and children held in Iraq to leave. U.S. troop deployment to the Persian Gulf reaches
50,000. U.S. expels some Iraqi embassy personnel.
September 4
Iraq has about 165,000
troops in Kuwait and 100,000 more in Iraq near the border.
September 5
Saddam Hussein calls for
an Islamic holy war against U.S. forces in the region.
September 10
Iran and Iraq renew full
diplomatic relations.
September 13
UNSC passes Resolution
666, which permits humanitarian food shipments to Iraq to be distributed by third parties
such as the Red Cross.
September 14
Iraqi troops storm the
French and Belgian Ambassadors’ quarters in Kuwait City. The UK will send 6,000 troops.
September 15
U.S. troop deployment to
the Persian Gulf reaches 150,000.
September 16
UNSC passes Resolution
667, which condemns Iraq’s actions against Embassies in Kuwait.
September 19
Iraq impounds assets of
countries supporting the embargo.
September 23
Saddam Hussein vows
retaliation against Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Israel if attacked.
September 24
UNSC passes Resolution
669, which entrusts the Sanctions Committee to examine requests for economic assistance.
September 25
UNSC passes Resolution
670, which imposes an air embargo on Iraq. Iraq has about 3,500 tanks, 2,500 armored vehicles,
and 1,700 artillery pieces in Kuwait.
September 27
The UK and Iran resume
diplomatic relations.
September 28
The Amir of Kuwait
reports Iraq is pillaging his country and repopulating it with outsiders.
October 1
U.S. passes a joint
resolution to “deter Iraqi aggression.”
October 3
East and West Germany
reunite. Amnesty International reports Iraqi atrocities in Kuwait.
October 20
Canada abandons its
embassy in Kuwait; French, British, and U.S. Embassies remain open.
October 24
Released American
hostages claim they were starved and denied medical attention.
October 29
UNSC passes Resolution
674, which demands release of hostages and holds Iraq liable for damages in Kuwait.
November 1
President Bush insists that
he wants a peaceful solution to the crisis. Iraq will allow family members of hostages to visit during
Christmas holidays.
November 5
U.S. and Saudi Arabia
agree that both must concur on going to war.
November 8
President Bush announces
the U.S. will double its troop strength for the coalition.
November 15
Saddam Hussein says he
will release hostages if the U.S. promises not to attack.
November 19
Iraq announces it will
send another 250,000 troops into Kuwait and calls up 60,000 reserves and 100,000 conscripts.
President Gorbachev declines to back a UN resolution authorizing an attack to drive Iraq from
Kuwait.
November 27
Testimony before the
UNSC reports atrocities by the Iraqi military.
November 28
UNSC passes Resolution
677, which condemns Iraq’s attempts to alter Kuwaiti demographics.
November 29
UNSC passes Resolution
678, which gives Iraq until January 15th to comply with all previous resolutions and authorizes
the coalition forces to “use all necessary means” to force Iraq from Kuwait.
November 30
President Bush offers to
send Baker to Baghdad and invites Aziz to Washington.
December 2
U.S. announces it will not
attack if Iraq leaves Kuwait and releases all hostages. Iraq fires Scud missiles.
December 3
The U.S. has 240,000
troops in the region.
December 6
Saddam Hussein
announces he will release all hostages, citing a change in the U.S. position.
December 8
Iraq says Aziz will travel
to Washington on 17 December, but Saddam Hussein will not see Baker until 12 January.
December 11
France announces it will
send 4,000 more troops to total 10,000 in the region.
December 15
Iraq cancels Aziz’s visit to
Washington.
December 28
Iraqi ambassadors return
to coalition capitals saying Iraq is ready for serious and constructive talks to
end the crisis.
December 31
Japan offers to resume aid
to Iraq if it withdraws from Kuwait.
January 2
NATO orders planes to
Turkey to deter an Iraqi attack. Iraqi forces in Kuwait estimated at 325,000. U.S. forces
number 325,000 plus 245,000 coalition forces.
January 4
Kuwait government in
exile announces it will provide about 300 military volunteers.
January 9
Baker and Aziz meet in
Geneva but fail to resolve the crisis.
January 14
Antiwar demonstrations
held in many U.S. and European cities. Iraqi National Assembly votes to continue the policy of
defending Kuwait.
January 15
UN deadline for Iraq’s
withdrawal from Kuwait.
January 17
War begins at 0230
Baghdad time with massive air and missile attacks on targets in Kuwait and Iraq. Iraq
launches Scud missiles into Israel and Saudi Arabia. Iran says it may join the war if provoked
by Iraq.
January 18
The UK promises another
army battalion and an air force squadron. U.S. forces attack an offshore oil platform; capture the
first Iraqi prisoners of war. Scud missiles hit Tel Aviv.
January 21
Iraq says it will use
coalition prisoners as shields against air attacks.
January 22
Iraqis set fire to oil
storage tanks and facilities in Kuwait. Scud missiles continue to hit Tel Aviv.
January 23
Iraq suspends the sale of
gasoline to its population. Iraq threatens Turkey for allowing coalition forces
to use Turkish air bases. Saudi Arabia begins importing oil products.
January 24
Two oil slicks found
moving south from Kuwait. Coalition claims Iraq dumped the oil; Iraq claims coalition bombing
caused the spill.
January 26
Oil spill threatens Saudi
Arabian water-purification plants on the Persian Gulf. Iraqi warplanes begin flying to Iran.
January 29
U.S. Marines fire artillery,
mortars, and TOW missiles at Iraqi bunkers in Kuwait. U.S. and the USSR offer a cease-fire if
Iraq makes an “unequivocal commitment” to withdraw from Kuwait.
February 1
Coalition air forces bomb
a 10-mile long Iraqi armored column.
February 4
Iraq suspends all fuel
sales to its civilian population.
February 6
Iraq severs diplomatic
relations with the U.S. and five other coalition members. President Gorbachev says that
coalition military operations threaten to exceed the UN mandate and sends an envoy to
Baghdad for talks with Saddam Hussein. Emir of Kuwait wants Kuwaiti ground forces included in
the liberation of Kuwait.
February 11
Iraq orders all 17-year-old males to sign up for military service.
February 12
Soviet envoy Yevgeny
Primakov reports Iraq is ready to negotiate a settlement to the war.
February 13
Coalition air campaign
passes 67,000 sorties and U.S. troop deployment reaches 514,000.
February 14
U.S. Department of
Defense claims coalition planes have destroyed 1,300 tanks, 800 armored personnel
carriers, and 1,100 field artillery pieces.
February 16
Iraq’s UN ambassador
threatens to use weapons of mass destruction.
February 18
USS Tripoli and USS
Princeton hit floating mines.
February 19
Coalition air forces
conduct the first daylight bombing raids on Baghdad. Iranian newspaper cites an Iraqi
official saying that Iraq has suffered 20,000 dead and 60,000 wounded. Baghdad radio reports
Aziz has returned from Moscow with a peace proposal. President Bush says the Soviet proposal
is insufficient to end the war.
February 20
Baghdad radio reports Aziz will return to Moscow with Saddam Hussein’s reply to the
Soviet peace proposal. General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, commander of coalition
military forces, says Iraqi military is on the “verge of collapse.” Coalition air
campaign passes 86,000 sorties.
February 21
The USSR announces
that Iraq has agreed to a plan that could lead to Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait. Saddam Hussein
declares Iraq is prepared to fight the ground war.
February 22
Iraq dynamites 732
Kuwaiti oil wells; more than 650 catch fire. The Soviets announce an eight-point peace plan.
February 24
Ground campaign begins
at 0400 Saudi Arabia time.
February 25
Scud missile hits U.S.
military barracks in Al Khobar. The blast kills 28 soldiers and wounds 90 more, the largest
coalition loss of life in the war.
February 26
U.S. rejects the new
Soviet peace plan. Residents of Kuwait City celebrate the end of occupation. Kuwait’s
emir declares three months of martial law. Saddam Hussein announces Iraqi occupation forces will
withdraw completely. The U.S. regains control of its embassy in Kuwait City.
February 28
Coalition air campaign
passes 110,000 sorties. Cease-fire begins at 0800 Saudi Arabia time.
April 3
UNSC adopts resolution
687 dictating final cease-fire terms to Iraq.