Wilson, who was acting U.S. ambassador to Iraq just before the Persian Gulf War of 1991, alleges White House officials revealed his wife's identity to Novak in retaliation for his exposing flaws in prewar intelligence on Iraq.

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The group of volunteers first started during the Persian Gulf War in 1991 and continued following the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

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He also leveled an ominous warning at the small states dotting the western shores of the Persian Gulf, many of which were allied coalition members during the 1991 Gulf War and are longtime members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) -- a cartel that has too much influence in world oil markets, he said.

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