Iran-Iraq war: causes, history, losses and consequences

This conflict has many names. Most of all, it is known as the Iran-Iraq war. This term is especially common in foreign and Soviet / Russian sources. The Persians call this war "Sacred Defense", as they (Shiites) defended themselves against the encroachments of the Sunni Arabs. Also the epithet "imposed" is used. In Iraq, a tradition has arisen to call the conflict of Saddam Caddesi. 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 VII century, when Islam was implanted by surrounding peoples. Thus, the Iraqis compared the war of the twentieth century with the legendary campaign against the East against the Gentiles. This is one of the largest (more than a million dead) and long (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 backstory. 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 (also called Arvandrud), which is formed from the confluence of two other great waterways - the Tigris and the Euphrates. In their interfluve, the first human cities appeared. At the beginning of the 20th century, Iraq was part of the Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey). After its disintegration, due to the defeat in the First World War, an Arab republic was formed, which concluded an agreement with Iran, according to which the border between them must pass along the left bank of an important river. In 1975, an agreement was reached to move the line to the middle of the riverbed.

After the Islamic Revolution took place in Iran, Ruholah Khomeini came to power there. In the army, purges began, during which officers and soldiers loyal to the Shah were fired and repressed. Because of this, inexperienced commanders appeared in leading positions. At the same time, both Iraq and Iran arranged against each other provocations with militants and underground workers. The parties were clearly not against inciting 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 province. Official media announced that the reason for the attack were the provocations of Persian border guards who violated the border regime.

The offensive stretched over a stretch of 700 kilometers. The main was the southern direction - closer to the Persian Gulf. It was here that throughout the eight years the most fierce battles were fought. The central and northern fronts had to cover the main grouping, so that the Iranians could not enter their rear.

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 the region is rich in this important resource also exacerbated the situation. In the next decade, Hussein will also attack Kuwait, the reason is still the same - oil. Then began the American-Iraq war, but in the 80s the world community distanced itself from the conflict of Sunnis and Shiites.

The land operation was accompanied by air bombardments of Iranian civilian cities. The capital of Tehran was also attacked. After a week of march-throw Hussein stopped the troops and offered rivals peace, which was associated with heavy losses under Abadan. It happened on the 5th of October. Hussein wanted to end the war until the holy holiday of Eid al-Adha (on the 20th). At that time the USSR was trying to decide which side to help. Ambassador Vinogradov offered Iranian Prime Minister military support, but he refused. Also, Iraq's peace proposals were rejected. It became clear that the war would be protracted.

The prolongation of the war

Initially, the Iraqis had some superiority: it played into the hands of both the surprise attack effect, and the numerical advantage and demoralization of the Iranian army, where purges were held on the eve. The Arab leadership has placed a stake on the fact that the campaign will be short-term and it will be possible to plant the Persians at the negotiating table. The troops advanced 40 kilometers.

In Iran, urgent mobilization began, which allowed restoring the balance of power. In November there were bloody battles for Khorremshahr. The street fighting took a month, after which the Arab commanders lost the initiative in the conflict. By the end of the year, the war had become positional. The front line stopped. But not for long. After a brief lull, the Iran-Iraq war, whose causes consisted in the irreconcilable hatred of the parties to each other, resumed.

Public confrontation in Iran

In February 1981, the Iran-Iraq war moved to a new stage, when the Iranians tried to launch the first counter-offensive. However, it ended in failure - losses were two-thirds of the personnel. This led to the split in Iranian society. The military confronted 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, was killed, as well as Prime Minister Mohammed Bahonar.

The country's leadership, rallied around the ayatollah, responded with mass arrests. In the end, it stayed in power, destroying the revolutionaries.

Intervention of other countries of the Middle East

Continued by Iran, the Iraq war in the meantime instructed an unexpected turn. The Israeli Air Force conducted Operation Operation Opera. It was aimed at destroying 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 not waiting for an attack from the rear. The air defense could not do anything. Although this event did not directly affect the course of the battles, Iraq's nuclear program was abandoned many years ago.

Syrian support for Iran was another external factor. This was due to the fact that Shiites were also in power in Damascus. Syria blocked the pipeline from Iraq, which passed through its territory. It was a powerful blow to the country's economy, because it strongly depended on "black gold."

The use of chemical weapons

In 1982, the Iran-Iraq war once again went into the active phase, when the Iranians launched a second counter-offensive. This time it was successful. The Iraqis left Khorramshahr. Then the ayatollah offered his terms of peace: Hussein's resignation, payment of reparations and investigation of the causes of the war. Iraq refused.

Then the Iranian army crossed the enemy's frontier for the first time and tried to take Basra (unsuccessfully). Up to half a million people participated in the battle. The battle was unleashed in a remote 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 the Federal Republic of Germany. Some parts were made only in the USA.

Gas attacks have become the subject of special attention of world media. Already at the end of the conflict in 1988, the bombing of the Kurdish city of Halabja took place. By that 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 him. Used mustard, herd and sarin - substances that cause death.

War on land and at sea

The next offensive of Iran on Baghdad was stopped 40 kilometers from the capital. In the course of this throw, 120,000 soldiers were killed. In 1983, the Iranian forces, 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 loss of control over the Faw Peninsula.

The war on the sea led to the destruction of oil tankers, including those belonging to foreign countries. This prompted world powers to do everything to stop the conflict.

Many were waiting for the end of the Iraq war. The US introduced a military fleet to the Persian Gulf to accompany its tankers. This led to a clash 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 he was fired upon by the US Navy missile cruiser. Western politicians said that it was a tragic accident, as the plane was allegedly mistaken for an Iranian fighter.

At the same time, a scandal erupted in the US, known as the Iranian Watergate, or the Iran Contra. It became known that some influential politicians authorized the sale of weapons to the Islamic Republic. At that time, an embargo was imposed on Iran, and it was illegal. The Assistant Secretary of State, Ellot Abrams, was involved in the crime.

US v. Iran

In the last year of the war (1987-1988), Iran again tried to seize the strategically important port of Basra. It was a desperate attempt to end a bloody campaign like the Iraq war. The reasons for it were that both countries were exhausted.

The war in the Persian Gulf once again affected the US Navy. This time, the Americans decided to attack Iran's two oil platforms, which were used as grounds for attacks on neutral ships. The Marine Corps, the aircraft carrier, 4 destroyers, etc. were involved. The Iranians were defeated.

Conclusion of the world

After that, the ayatollah realized that new attempts to drag out the conflict were useless. The Iraq war was coming to an end. The losses on both sides were huge. According to various estimates, they amounted to from half a million to a million victims. This makes this war one of the biggest conflicts of the second half of the 20th century.

Veterans of the Iraq war 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, since world leaders did not want the spread of the Islamic revolution.