Iran–Iraq War
A devastating war (1980–1988) that began with Saddam's Iraqi invasion of Iran and ended with hundreds of thousands dead and no border changes.
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- Period
- September 1980 – August 1988
- Initiator
- Iraqi invasion (Saddam Hussein)
- End
- Acceptance of Resolution 598; ceasefire
- Outcome
- No border change; ~1 million casualties
Detail
The Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988), known in Iran as the "Sacred Defense," was the longest conventional war of the 20th century and one of the bloodiest in the Middle East. On 22 September 1980, Iraqi president Saddam Hussein invaded Iran, aiming to exploit the turmoil following the Iranian Revolution, seize control of the Arvand Rud (Shatt al-Arab) waterway, and contain the spread of the Islamic revolution. After an initial Iraqi advance and the occupation of part of Khuzestan, Iran recaptured the occupied areas—including Khorramshahr—in 1982, but the war turned into a prolonged war of attrition. It saw extensive use of chemical weapons by Iraq, missile attacks on cities (the "War of the Cities"), and costly offensives; many world powers, for various reasons, supported Iraq. Finally, after roughly a million dead and wounded and vast destruction, Iran accepted UN Security Council Resolution 598 in 1988 and a ceasefire took hold without any change to the borders. The war left a deep and lasting imprint on the national identity, economy, and politics of both countries.
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Sources
- Encyclopædia Iranica, "Iraq vii. Iran-Iraq War"
- Pierre Razoux, The Iran-Iraq War (Harvard University Press)
- Efraim Karsh, The Iran-Iraq War 1980–1988