This conflict has many names. It is best known as the Iran-Iraq war. This term is especially common in foreign and Soviet / Russian sources. The Persians call this war "Holy Defense", since they (Shiites) defended themselves against the encroachments of Sunni Arabs. The epithet "imposed" is also used. There is a tradition in Iraq to call the conflict Cadizia Saddam. Hussein was the leader of the state and directly supervised all operations. Cadizia - a place near which there was a decisive battle during the Arab conquest of Persia in the 7th century, when Islam was imposed on the surrounding peoples. Thus, the Iraqis compared the war of the XX century with the legendary campaign to the East against the Gentiles. This is one of the largest (more than a million dead) and long-lasting (1980 - 1988) armed conflicts of the last century.
Causes and causes of the conflict
The cause of the war was a border dispute. He had a long background. Iran and Iraq border on a large stretch of land - from Turkey to the Persian Gulf. In the south, this line runs along the Shatt al-Arab River (also called Arvandrud), which is formed from the confluence of two other great water arteries - the Tigris and Euphrates. The first human cities appeared in their interfluve. At the beginning of the 20th century, Iraq was part of the Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey). After its collapse due to defeat in the First World War, an Arab republic formed, which concluded an agreement with Iran, according to which the border between them should pass along the left bank of an important river. In 1975, an agreement appeared to transfer the line to the middle of the channel.
After the Islamic Revolution took place in Iran, Ruhollah Khomeini came to power there. Purges began in the army, during which officers and soldiers devoted to the Shah were fired and punished. Because of this, inexperienced commanders appeared in leading posts. At the same time, both Iraq and Iran staged provocations against militants and underground fighters against each other. The parties were clearly not opposed to fueling the conflict.
Iraqi intervention
The Iran-Iraq war began with the fact that on September 22, 1980, Iraqi soldiers crossed the disputed Shatt al-Arab river and invaded Khuzestan. Official media announced that the provocation was caused by provocations by Persian border guards who violated the border regime.
The offensive spread over a stretch of 700 kilometers. The main direction was the south - closer to the Persian Gulf. It was here that for all eight years the most fierce battles were fought. The central and northern fronts were supposed to cover the main group so that the Iranians could not go behind them.
After 5 days, the large city of Ahvaz was taken. In addition, oil terminals, important for the economy of the defending country, were destroyed. The fact that this region is rich in this important resource also exacerbated the situation. In the next decade, Hussein will also attack Kuwait, the reason is the same - oil. Then the American-Iraq war began, but in the 80s the world community distanced itself from the conflict between Sunnis and Shiites.
The land operation was accompanied by aerial bombardment of Iran’s peaceful cities. The capital of Tehran was also attacked. After a week of march, Hussein stopped the troops and offered the rivals peace, which was associated with heavy losses near Abadan. It happened on October 5th. Hussein wanted to end the war before the holy feast of Eid al-Adha (20th day). At this time, the USSR was trying to decide which side to help. Ambassador Vinogradov offered military support to the Prime Minister of Iran, but he refused. Iraq's peace offers were also rejected. It became clear that the war would be protracted.
Drag out war
Initially, the Iraqis had a certain superiority: they played into the hands of the effect of the surprise attack, and the numerical advantage, and the demoralization of the Iranian army, where the purges were held the day before. The Arab leadership has bet that the campaign will be short-term and will manage to put the Persians at the negotiating table. The troops advanced 40 kilometers.
An urgent mobilization began in Iran, which helped restore the balance of power. In November there were bloody battles for Khorramshahr. It took a month to street fighting, after which the Arab commanders lost the initiative in the conflict. By the end of the year, the war became positional. The front line has stopped. But not for long. After a lull, the Iran-Iraq war, the reasons for which was the implacable hatred of the parties towards each other, resumed.
Public standoff in Iran
In February 1981, the Iran-Iraq war proceeded to a new stage when the Iranians tried to launch their first counteroffensive. However, it ended in failure - the losses amounted to two-thirds of the personnel. This led to a split in Iranian society. The military opposed the clerics who believed that the officers had betrayed the country. Against this background, President Banisadr was removed from power.
Another factor was the organization of the Mujahideen of the Iranian people (OMIN). Its members wanted to create a socialist republic. They launched terror against the government. The new president, Mohammed Rajai, as well as Prime Minister Mohammed Bahonar, were killed.
The country's leadership, rallied around the ayatollah, responded with mass arrests. In the end, it remained in power, destroying the revolutionaries.
Intervention by Other Middle East Countries
Iran's ongoing Iraq war, meanwhile, took an unexpected turn. The Israeli Air Force conducted Operation Opera. It was aimed at the destruction of the Osirak nuclear center. The reactor for it was purchased by Iraq from France for research. The Israeli Air Force struck at a time when Iraq was completely not expecting an attack from the rear. Air defense could not do anything. Although this event did not directly affect the course of the battles, the Iraqi nuclear program was dropped many years ago.
Another outside factor was Syria’s support for Iran. This was due to the fact that Shiites were also in power in Damascus. Syria blocked the oil pipeline from Iraq, which passed through its territory. This was a powerful blow to the country's economy, since it depended heavily on “black gold”.
Use of chemical weapons
In 1982, the Iran-Iraq war again entered an active phase when the Iranians launched a second counter-offensive. This time it was a success. Iraqis left Khorramshahr. Then the ayatollah proposed his terms of peace: the resignation of Hussein, the payment of reparations and the investigation of the causes of the war. Iraq refused.
Then the Iranian army first crossed the enemy’s border and tried to take Basra (unsuccessfully). Up to half a million people participated in the battle. The battle unleashed in a hard-to-reach marshland. Then Iran accused Iraq of using banned chemical weapons (mustard gas). There is evidence that such technologies were borrowed before the war from Western countries, including Germany. Some parts were made only in the USA.
Gas attacks have become the subject of special attention of the world media. Already at the end of the conflict in 1988, the Kurdish city of Halabja was bombed. By this time, only the civilian population, consisting of an ethnic minority, remained there. Hussein avenged the Kurds, who either supported Iran or refused to fight with it. Mustard, herd and sarin were used - substances that cause death.
Land and sea war
Iran’s next attack on Baghdad was stopped 40 kilometers from the capital. During this throw, 120 thousand soldiers were killed. In 1983, Iranian troops, with the support of the Kurds, invaded the north of the country. The greatest tactical success was achieved by the Shiites in 1986, when Iraq was actually cut off from the sea due to the loss of control over the Fao Peninsula.
The war at sea led to the destruction of oil tankers, including those belonging to foreign countries. This prompted the world powers to do everything to stop the conflict.
Many waited for the end of the Iraq war. The United States introduced a fleet into the Persian Gulf to accompany its tankers. This led to clashes with the Iranians. The most terrible tragedy was the crash of a passenger aircraft A300. It was an Iranian airliner flying from Tehran to Dubai. He was shot down over the Persian Gulf after being fired at by a US Navy missile cruiser. Western politicians said it was a tragic accident, as the plane was allegedly mistaken for an Iranian fighter.
Then, in the United States, a scandal broke out, known as the Iranian Watergate, or Iran-Contras. It became known that some influential politicians authorized the sale of weapons to the Islamic Republic. An embargo was imposed on Iran at that time, and it was illegal. The assistant secretary of state, Ellot Abrams, was involved in crime.
USA vs Iran
In the last year of the war (1987-1988), Iran again tried to capture the strategically important port of Basra. It was a desperate attempt to end such a bloody campaign as the Iraq war. Her reasons were that both countries were exhausted.
The Gulf War once again affected the US fleet. This time, the Americans decided to attack two of Iran’s oil platforms, which were used as platforms for attacks on neutral vessels. The Marine Corps, an aircraft carrier, 4 destroyers, etc. were involved. The Iranians were defeated.
Peace making
After this, the ayatollah realized that new attempts to prolong the conflict were futile. The Iraq war was ending. The losses on both sides were huge. According to various estimates, they ranged from half a million to a million victims. This makes this war one of the largest conflicts of the second half of the 20th century.
Iraqi war veterans applauded Saddam, who was considered the savior of the nation. The borders of countries have returned to the status quo. Despite the terror of their own people, Hussein was supported both in NATO and in the Warsaw bloc, because world leaders did not want the spread of the Islamic revolution.