The President of Iraq during the Gulf War was Saddam Hussein. He had been the leader of Iraq since 1979 and was known for his authoritarian rule, human rights abuses, and aggressive foreign policy. The Gulf War was fought between Iraq and a coalition of 35 countries led by the United States in response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. The war ended in February 1991 with Iraq's defeat and the withdrawal of Iraqi forces from Kuwait.