Drawing from an extensive cache of captured Iraqi government records, this book is the first comprehensive military and strategic account of the war through the lens of the Iraqi regime and its senior military commanders. Iran repeatedly launched fruitless infantry attacks, using human assault waves composed partly of untrained and unarmed conscripts (often young boys snatched from the streets), which were repelled by the superior firepower and air power of the Iraqis. The Iran-Iraq War is one of the largest, yet least documented conflicts in the history of the Middle East. But under the leadership of Ruhollah Khomeini, who bore a strong personal animosity toward Saddam, Iran remained intransigent and continued the war in an effort to overthrow the Iraqi leader. In September 1980 the Iraqi army carefully advanced along a broad front into KhÅ«zestÄn, taking Iran by surprise. Iran â Iraq War (1980 â 1988) Causes & Consequences 2. https://www.history.com/topics/middle-east/iran-iraq-war. The protracted war between these neighboring Middle Eastern countries resulted in at least half a million casualties and several billion dollars’ worth of damages, but no real gains by other side. Pierre Razoux shows why this war remains central to understanding Middle Eastern geopolitics, from the deep-rooted distrust between Sunni and Shia Muslims, to Iranâs obsession with nuclear ⦠From 1980 to 1988 Iran and Iraq fought the longest conventional war of the century. He doesnât remember much of war, since he left at two. Also known as the First Persian Gulf War, the Iran-Iraq War was an open conflict fought between Iran and Iraq from 1980-1988. Photograph Source: Public Domain. The World at War in 2020 by Martin Armstrong, May 8, 2020 Defense and arms May 8, 2020 marked 75 years since the end of the Second World War in Europe - VE Day. The war followed a long history of border disputes and was motivated by fears that the Iranian Revolution in 1979 would inspire insurgency among Iraqâs long-suppressed Shiâi majority, as ⦠By 1988 Iran was demoralized by the persistent failure of its many “final” offensives over the years, by the prospect of unending casualties, by its declining ability to import civilian goods as well as military supplies, and by the Scud missile attacks on Teheran. They capitalized on Iran’s morale and population advantage (forty million versus Iraq’s thirteen million), but although foot infantry could breach Iraqi defense lines from time to time, if only by costly human-wave attacks, it could not penetrate deeply enough in the aftermath to achieve decisive results. All rights reserved. Thirty-five years ago this week, Iraq invaded Iran and the 20th Century's longest war began. World War 2 (WW2) History Lessons, Worksheets & Resources Browse our online library of World War 2 (WW2) history lessons and resources. First, it was inordinately protracted, lasting longer than either world war, essentially because Iran did not want to end it, while Iraq could not. Dave DeCamp 11/03/2020 Election Day: One Thing's for Sure, an Interventionist Will Win. How's the War on Terrorism Going? Religion ⢠Iran was governed by Muslim clerics (theocracy). With the end of the Iran-Iraq War in 1988, Iraq found itself deeply in debt to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Hitlerâs hordes are back for more in this spine-chilling shooter from the makers of Sniper Elite 4! Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). More information about Iraq is available on the Iraq Page and from other Department of State publications and other sources listed at the end of this fact sheet. Aimed at students 11-14 years old (KS3) & 14-16 year old (GCSE). The Iran-Iraq War of 1980 to 1988 was a grinding, bloody, and in the end, completely pointless conflict. The Iran-Iraq War (1980â1988) transformed the IRGC into more of a conventional fighting force, in which it adopted a command structure similar to that of Western militaries. During the IranâIraq War, Iraq received large quantities of weapons and other material useful to the development of armaments and weapons of mass destruction. ORIGINS OF WAR. As it was, the initial Iraqi offensive thrusts landed in the void, encountering only weak border units before reaching their logistical limits. In the mid-1980s the military stalemate continued, but in August 1988 Iranâs deteriorating economy and recent Iraqi gains on the battlefield compelled Iran to accept a United Nations-mediated cease-fire that it had previously resisted. The âimposed war,â as it is known to Iranians, caused Iran to view itself as isolated and on the defensive, striving for self-reliance and survival in ⦠All Rights Reserved. The Iran-Iraq War, which ended in the summer of 1988, a month short of its eighth anniversary, is undoubtedly the Third World's longest and bloodiest conflict in a half-century. Pierre Razoux shows why this war remains central to understanding Middle Eastern geopolitics, from the deep-rooted distrust between Sunni and Shia Muslims, to Iranâs obsession with nuclear ⦠Bringing together The Iran-Iraq War, which ended in the summer of 1988, a month short of its eighth anniversary, is undoubtedly the Third World's longest and bloodiest conflict in a half-century. In short, the Iran-Iraq War paved the way for the globalization of Iranâs Revolution, which had to be both spread and defended by bombs and bullets. But postwar censuses in Iran and Iraq suggest that the warâs death toll may not be nearly as high as is commonly thought. The collateral damage to the economies of other nations was also immense. Iraqâs war effort was openly financed by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and other neighbouring Arab states and was tacitly supported by the United States and the Soviet Union, while Iranâs only major allies were Syria and Libya. The end came in July 1988 with the acceptance UN Resolution 598. The total number of combatants on both sides is unclear; but both countries were fully mobilized, and most men of military age were under arms. Great for home study or to use within the classroom environment. Iran-Iraq War, (1980â88), prolonged military conflict between Iran and Iraq during the 1980s. Iraq had largely financed the war effort through loans, and owed some $37 billion to Gulf creditors in 1990. Had Iran been given ample warning, it would have mobilized its forces to defend its borderlands; that would have made the Iraqi invasion much more difficult, but in the process the bulk of Iranian forces might have been defeated, possibly forcing Iran to accept a cease-fire on Iraqi terms. It was commonly called the Persian Gulf War until Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990. Please select which sections you would like to print: While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Steel Armor: Blaze of War gives player an opportunity to drive battle tanks as driver and engineer, to organize tank attacks as gun layer and manage the crew. Iran-Iraq War / The Imposed War (1980-1988) The Iran-Iraq War permanently altered the course of Iraqi history. The final exchange of prisoners was not completed until March 2003. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. The 1980â88 Iran-Iraq War stands as the pivotal event for Iran's national security strategy, especially as it pertains to the country's controversial nuclear program. In 1980 Saddam Hussein decided to invade Iran. The IranâIraq War was a war between the armed forces of Iraq and Iran lasting from September 1980 to August 1988. Bringing together Israeli, American and European ⦠Second, it was sharply asymmetrical in the means employed by each side, because though both sides exported oil and purchased military imports throughout, Iraq was further subsidized and supported by Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, allowing it to acquire advanced weapons and expertise on a much larger scale than Iran. The Iran-Iraq War offers an unflinching look at a conflict seared into the regionâs collective memory but little understood in the West. Three things distinguish the Iran-Iraq War. Having long conserved its forces and shifted to all-mechanized configurations to circumvent the reluctance of its troops to face enemy fire, Iraq attacked on a large scale in April 1988. By attacking when it did, Iraq took advantage of the apparent disorder and isolation of Iranâs new governmentâthen at loggerheads with the United States over the seizure of the U.S. embassy in TehrÄn by Iranian militantsâand of the demoralization and dissolution of Iranâs regular armed forces. Did the Normans conquer England in 1066? vii. Some estimates put the number of killed by the war up to 1.5 million people. Corrections? This terrible confrontation between Saddam Hussein and Ayatollah Khomeini drastically changed the geopolitical balance of power in the Gulf and was the last Total War ⦠Although U.S. troops have gone to war many times since 1776, Congress has only declared war 11 times. The number killed on both sides was perhaps 500,000, with Iran suffering the greatest losses. IRAN-IRAQ WAR. Iranâs counterattacks using the revolutionary militia (Revolutionary Guards) to bolster its regular armed forces began to compel the Iraqis to give ground in 1981. (One such attack, in and around the Kurdish village of Ḥalabjah in March 1988, killed as many as 5,000 civilians.) Saddam was also concerned over attempts by Iranâs Islamic revolutionary government to incite rebellion among Iraqâs ShiÊ¿i majority. David R. Henderson 12/11/2020 Chuck Yeager on War Crimes. The IranâIraq War (Persian: جÙÚ¯ اÛرا٠٠عرا٠â; Arabic: Øرب اÙØ®ÙÙج اÙØ£ÙÙÙ, اÙØرب اÙØ¥ÙراÙÙØ© اÙعراÙÙØ© â) was a protracted armed conflict that began on 22 September 1980 when Iraq invaded neighbouring Iran.The war lasted almost eight years, ending in a stalemate on 20 August 1988 when Iran accepted a UN-brokered ceasefire. The IranâIraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq lasting from September 22, 1980, when Iraq invaded Iran, to August 1988. The Iran-Iraq War of 1980-1988 scarred both countries deeply, with horrific fighting at the battlefront and long-range missile attacks on cities. They also attacked each otherâs oil-tanker shipping in the Persian Gulf, and Iranâs attacks on Kuwaitâs and other Gulf statesâ tankers prompted the United States and several western European nations to station warships in the Persian Gulf to ensure the flow of oil to the rest of the world. Iraq invaded Iran on 22 September 1980, triggering a bitter eight-year war which destabilised the region and devastated both countries. The Iran-Contra Affair was a secret U.S. arms deal that traded missiles and other arms to free some Americans held hostage by terrorists in Lebanon, but also used funds from the arms deal to support armed conflict in Nicaragua. The war began when Iraq ⦠The roots of the war lay in a number of territorial and political disputes between Iraq and Iran. As such, its lessons and implications extend beyond the geographical confines of the Middle East. Following years of diplomatic friction and skirmishes between Israel and its neighbors, Israel Defense Forces launched preemptive air strikes that ...read more, On October 6, 1973, hoping to win back territory lost to Israel during the third Arab-Israeli war, in 1967, Egyptian and Syrian forces launched a coordinated attack against Israel on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Alarmed by these actions, fellow Arab powers such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt called on the United States and other Western nations to intervene. Iran Military support. The Iran-Iraq War â 10 Facts About the Deadliest Conflict of the 1980s The war was years in the making. The Iraq-Kuwait war, which the United States entered, later was called the Persian Gulf War or the Gulf War.. This nuclear assistance was part of a ...read more, The Persian Empire is the name given to a series of dynasties centered in modern-day Iran that spanned several centuries—from the sixth century B.C. But revolutionary Iran was very limited in its tactically offensive means. Kuwait, country of the Arabian Peninsula located in the northwestern corner of the Persian Gulf. Iraqâs troops captured the city of Khorramshahr but failed to take the important oil-refining centre of ÄbÄdÄn, and by December 1980 the Iraqi offensive had bogged down about 50â75 miles (80â120 km) inside Iran after meeting unexpectedly strong Iranian resistance. During the eight years between Iraq’s formal declaration of war on September 22, 1980, and Iran’s acceptance of a cease-fire with effect on July 20, 1988, at the very least half a million and possibly twice as many troops were killed on both sides, at least half a million became permanent invalids, some 228 billion dollars were directly expended, and more than 400 billion dollars of damage (mostly to oil facilities, but also to cities) was inflicted, mostly by artillery barrages. The war was one of the most strategically important conflicts of modern times because it involved two ⦠Estimates of total casualties range from 1,000,000 to twice that number. Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present. The war was initiated by Iraq with the intention of solving a territorial dispute between the two countries but quickly escalated into a dispute of who would guide the Middle East. Underlying the war are long-standing enmities and disputes: ⦠Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), or known as the Persian Gulf War is a complex conflict which incorporate various kind of differentiations and how it triggered diputes which often happened in the Middle East. Parts of the conflict go back to the split in Islam following the death of the prophet Muhammad as Iran was eager to spread Shia Islam to the rest of the Middle East, but the conflict is not typically characterized as a religious war⦠Coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One and the Epic Games Store early 2020. Iraq continued to sue for peace in the mid-1980s, but its international reputation was damaged by reports that it had made use of lethal chemical weapons against Iranian troops as well as against Iraqi-Kurdish civilians, whom the Iraqi government thought to be sympathetic to Iran. Iraq wanted to seize control of the rich oil-producing Iranian border region of KhÅ«zestÄn, a territory inhabited largely by ethnic Arabs over which Iraq sought to extend some form of suzerainty. The number of casualties was enormous but equally uncertain. Upon Iraq’s refusal, Iran launched an invasion into Iraqi territory (Operation Ramadan, on July 13, 1982) in the first of many attempts over the coming years to conquer Basra, Iraq’s second city and only real port. At the end of the Iran-Iraq War of 1980â1988, Iraq emerged with its state intact and a reinforced sense of national pride, but laden with massive debts. At that point, Iran had only just started to mobilize in earnest. Our editors will review what youâve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. The then Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein ⦠Aside from that, the war was inconsequential: having won Iranian recognition of exclusive Iraqi sovereignty over the Shatt-el-Arab River (into which the Tigris and Euphrates combine, forming Iraq’s best outlet to the sea), in 1988 Saddam Hussein surrendered that gain when in need of Iran’s neutrality in anticipation of the 1991 Gulf War. For one soldier it was a hellish inferno, for another the best time of his life. From then on, until the final months of the war eight years later, Iraq was forced on the strategic defensive, having to face periodic Iranian offensives on one sector or another, year after year. Politics, or the Iran-Iraq War by Other Means Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, This article was most recently revised and updated by, The opening offensive, stalemate, and the Tanker War, https://www.britannica.com/event/Iran-Iraq-War, Wilson Center Digital Archive - Iran-Iraq War, Military History Encyclopedia on the Web - Iran-Iraq War, Iran-Iraq War - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Iran-Iraq War - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). While the Iran-Iraq War (1980â88) was an important event in the history of both of those countries, it also revealed some of the more complex issues facing the Middle East in the twentieth century.The war ⦠The campaign lasted for ...read more. Since 1953, it has edited, published, and distributed over 1.1 million student papers, curriculum texts, faculty research pieces, journals, and scholarly books to further airpower thought critical to ⦠Updates? The IraqâKuwait conflict, which was known as the Second Persian Gulf War, eventually became known simply as the Persian Gulf War. A. Lucy Steigerwald 5/15/2020 Jackson State and Forgotten History. The Iran-Iraq war may be the bloodiest international conflict since World War II, Resistant to all negotiating efforts since its start in September-October 1980, the conflict has posed unique challenges to would-be mediators and tremendous threats to regional stability. TEHRAN â The Foundation for Preservation of Sacred Defense Works and Values has published a collection of 31 plays on the theme of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war, which is called the Sacred Defense in Iran. By contrast, Iraq was a secular state. But ironically, the reason Iran has the technology to build these weapons in the first place is because the U.S. gave it to Iran between 1957 and 1979. The Iran-Iraq war was fought for nearly nine years, during which time both countries suffered millions of casualties and billions of dollars in damage. The Iraq War (Americaâs second war with Iraq, the first being the conflict that followed Iraq's invasion of Kuwait) continued to be a rancorous and controversial topic years after the US ceded control of the country to the Iraqi civilian government.The positions various commentators and politicians took prior to and ⦠The Iran-Iraq War, by Pierre Razoux, is a very well written account of the Iran-Iraq War, which began in 1980 with the Iraqi invasion of Iran, and ended in 1989. Air University Press (AU Press) is the publishing agent for Air University (AU). The IranâIraq War was originally referred to as the Persian Gulf War until the Persian Gulf War of 1990 and 1991, after which it was known as the First Persian Gulf War. Edited by Robert Cowley and Geoffrey Parker. Iraqi president Saddam Hussein wanted to reassert his countryâs sovereignty over both banks of the Shaá¹á¹ al-Ê¿Arab, a river formed by the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that was historically the border between the two countries. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Started by Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein in September 1980, the war was marked by indiscriminate ballistic-missile attacks, extensive use of chemical weapons and attacks on third-country oil tankers in the Persian Gulf. His family fled Iran during the Iraq-Iran war in the 1980s. But Iran rejected a cease-fire, demanding the removal of Saddam Hussein and compensation for war damage. After demanding Russian evacuation of the Danubian Principalities, British and French forces laid siege to the city of Sevastopol in 1854. Bloody Dawns: The Iran-Iraq War is a two-player grand strategic level card driven wargame depicting the struggle between Iraq and Iran from September 1980 to August 1988. The Iran-Iraq war: 25 years on By Roger Hardy BBC Middle East analyst Between half a million and 1.5 million people died in the war. The Iran-Iraq WarFor eight years, the nations of Iran and Iraq fought to a bloody standstill in their war for regional dominance. Abominable occult enemies, epic weapons and a harrowing new campaign for 1-4 players await in 1940s Europe, as you fight to save humankind from undead Armageddon! Was The American Civil War fought between East and West? A small emirate nestled between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, it is situated in a section of one of the driest deserts on Earth. IRAQ. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! How the War Began Like many aspects of the Iran-Iraq war, how the war began is a mat-ter of dispute between the parties. When Saddam Hussein, president of Iraq, quite deliberately started the war, he miscalculated on two counts: first, in attacking a country greatly disorganized by revolution but also greatly energized by it-and whose regime could be consolidated only by a long “patriotic” war, as with all revolutionary regimes; and second, at the level of theater strategy, in launching a surprise invasion against a very large country whose strategic depth he was not even trying to penetrate. Open warfare began on September 22, 1980, when Iraqi armed forces invaded western Iran along the countriesâ joint border, though Iraq claimed that the war had begun earlier that month, on September 4, when Iran shelled a number of border posts. This war had many effects on the oil industry, led to many weapon innovations in Iraq, showed the world who Saddam Hussein was, and how the ⦠But he remembers enough to understand the trauma of a âfixer.â This strategy was also used during the Iran-Iraq war. Long-standing border disputes and political turmoil in Iran prompt Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to launch an invasion of Iranâs oil-producing province of Khuzestan. The Reader’s Companion to Military History. Iraq recognized Iranâs new ShiÊ¿i Islamic government, but the Iranian leaders would have nothing to do with the BaÊ¿ath regime, which they denounced as secular. Later that year Iraq voluntarily withdrew its forces from all captured Iranian territory and began seeking a peace agreement with Iran. The Iran-Iraq war was one of the most tragic and deadly events of the last half of the 20 th century causing up to a million human casualties. Why? Tensions between Iran and Iraq were longstanding. The war lasted for almost 8 years and it The Gulf War, 1991. American support for Ba'athist Iraq during the IranâIraq War, in which it fought against post-revolutionary Iran, included several billion dollars' worth of economic aid, the sale of dual-use technology, non-U.S. origin weaponry, military intelligence, and special operations training. Fighting was ended by a 1988 cease-fire, though the resumption of normal diplomatic relations and the withdrawal of troops did not take place until 1990. The end came on July 18, when Iran accepted UN Resolution 598 calling for an immediate cease-fire, though minor Iraqi attacks continued for a few more days after the truce came into effect on July 20, 1988. â The IranâIraq War marked a turning point in the history of the Middle East. Player is to successfully accomplish battles in 4 historical operations on 60 square km of battle area, manage Soviet, Iran, Iraq and Angola sides of the conflict. Three things distinguish the Iran-Iraq War. Estimates of total casualties range from 1,000,000 to twice that number. Despite requests, neither nation was willing to forgive these debts. The Iraqis assert that the war began with an Iranian artillery attack on the Iraqi border town of Khanaqin on September 4, 1980.16 The Iraqis point to repeated hostile actions by The immediate cause of this action was President Jimmy Carter’s decision to allow Iran’s deposed Shah, a pro-Western autocrat who had been expelled from ...read more, The United States and Iran have never formally been at war, but tensions between the two countries have persisted for decades. In August 1990, while Iraq was preoccupied with its invasion of Kuwait (see Persian Gulf War), Iraq and Iran restored diplomatic relations, and Iraq agreed to Iranian terms for the settlement of the war: the withdrawal of Iraqi troops from occupied Iranian territory, division of sovereignty over the Shaá¹á¹ al-Ê¿Arab waterway, and a prisoner-of-war exchange. First, it was inordinately protracted, lasting longer than either world war, essentially because Iran did not want to end it, while Iraq could not. But what finally ended the war was Iraq’s belated reversion to main-force offensive action on the ground. One cannot comprehend the situation in the Gulf todayâthe Iranian nuclear program or the political crises in Baghdad and Tehranâwithout understanding the frustrations and fears that sprang from that war. "use strict";(function(){var insertion=document.getElementById("citation-access-date");var date=new Date().toLocaleDateString(undefined,{month:"long",day:"numeric",year:"numeric"});insertion.parentElement.replaceChild(document.createTextNode(date),insertion)})(); FACT CHECK: We strive for accuracy and fairness. He was martyred during an operation on the Panjvein frontline in November 1983. The Iran-Iraq War: It Still Haunts the Middle East To This Day . In the view of Nadav Safran, in the period between 1975â1979 there was a triangular balance among Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Iraq in their bids for Gulf leadership. Below is an overview of the long-running conflict between Iran and the United States—and measures taken (economic and otherwise) in the wake of flare ...read more, The Six-Day War was a brief but bloody conflict fought in June 1967 between Israel and the Arab states of Egypt, Syria and Jordan. The Iran-Iraq War, taking place from 1980-1988, started when Iraq, led by Saddam Hussein, tried to invade Iran, sparking an armed war between the two countries. Third, it included three modes of warfare absent in all previous wars since 1945: indiscriminate ballistic-missile attacks on cities by both sides, but mostly by Iraq; the extensive use of chemical weapons (mostly by Iraq); and some 520 attacks on third-country oil tankers in the Persian Gulf-for which Iraq employed mostly manned aircraft with antishipping missiles against tankers lifting oil from Iran’s terminals, while Iran used mines, gunboats, shore-launched missiles, and helicopters against tankers lifting oil from the terminals of Iraq’s Arab backers. to the twentieth century A.D. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Omissions? The 1980â88 Iran-Iraq War stands as the pivotal event for Iran's national security strategy, especially as it pertains to the country's controversial nuclear program. Iran-Iraq War begins. Wars Throughout History: Fact or Fiction? The oil-exporting capacity of both nations was severely reduced at various times owing to air strikes and to pipeline shutoffs, and the consequent reduction in their income and foreign-currency earnings brought the countriesâ economic-development programs to a near standstill.