The Iran-Iraq war was declared in September of 1980, by Saddam Hussein— then the dictator of Iraq. The war was allegedly waged over a border dispute concerning the Shatt al-Arab waterway, dividing the two countries. The deeper underlying problem, however, was regional discord. The year before, a revolution in Iran lead to Ayatollah Khomeini stepping into power. This felt like a threat to Hussein.
The war was costly. It took over a million lives, $500 billion in personal finances from each party, as well as hundreds of billions from allied countries backing Iraq. The tactics employed during the Iran-Iraq war include chemical warfare, ballistic missiles, and human-wave attacks. Another distinctive tactic of this war was the targeting of oil tankers in the Gulf, aiming to slow the others trade flow. Saddam Hussein hoped to use the recent revolution to his advantage, striking Iran at a time when the country was largely divided and in a certain degree of disarray. This, however was ineffective, and after an adjustment period during the first two years, Iran managed to hold the offensive position until 1988. Although the aggressor, Iran had been worn out by this point. Iraq served the final death blow with their tawakalna ala allah operation, a series of attacks that ended in the capturing of about 75% of Irans armor and half it’s artillery. In may of 1988, Iran, exhausted and on the edge of bankruptcy, accepted the cease fire and Iraq emerged victorious. |
Saddam hussein |
Sources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4260420.stm
http://www.history.com/topics/iran-iraq-war
http://www.encyclopedia.com/history/asia-and-africa/middle-eastern-history/iran-iraq-war
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran–Iraq_War
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/sep/23/iran-iraq-war-anniversary
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4260420.stm
http://www.history.com/topics/iran-iraq-war
http://www.encyclopedia.com/history/asia-and-africa/middle-eastern-history/iran-iraq-war
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran–Iraq_War
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/sep/23/iran-iraq-war-anniversary