Article

The Iraq War, launched on March 20, 2003, was partly justified by false claims that Saddam Hussein sought uranium from Niger, based on forged documents disseminated by Italian military intelligence. Despite doubts from U.S. intelligence and the International Atomic Energy Agency, the assertion was prominently featured in President Bush's State of the Union address, contributing to a conflict that ultimately cost an estimated $1.7 trillion and resulted in significant casualties. The incident underscores critical failures in intelligence and decision-making that led to the war.