Iraq Invades Iran Then Created The Longest Conflict On Today's History September 22, 1980

Iranian teenager turned into a soldier of war (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - The Iran-Iraq war was a prolonged military conflict that took place in the 1980s. The invasion of Iraq was operational on this day, September 22, 41 years ago or in 1980, starting with the invasion of the Iranian border.

The invasion from the outskirts of Iraq was not without reason. There is an oil-rich region called Khuzestan. The invasion then expanded to capture the city of Khorramshahr a few months later.

Quoting Britannica, in addition to oil-producing areas, Khuzestan is also an area that is mostly inhabited by ethnic Arabs. Seeing this, Iraq saw it as an attempt to expand its form of power.

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein also wants to reaffirm Iraqi sovereignty over the banks of the Shaṭṭ al-Arab, a river formed from the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers which historically served as the border between Iran and Iraq.

Saddam Hussein was also worried about the Iranian government's efforts to instigate an insurgency in Iraq's Shia majority. By invading Iran, Iraq took advantage of the chaos and isolated the Iranian government. Iraq also succeeded in demoralizing and disbanding Iran's regular armed forces.

Iraqi troops on strategy (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

But Iraq's progress stalled when Iran put up a tough fight. Iran adds revolutionary militias to its regular armed forces. In 1981, Iran was able to launch a retaliatory attack and by early 1982, Iran had regained almost all of the territory previously captured by Iraq.

At the end of 1982, Iraqi troops were withdrawn to the pre-war borderline, Iraq was trying to make peace. But Iran under Ruhollah Khomeini, who had strong personal issues with Saddam Hussein, insisted on continuing the war in an attempt to overthrow the Iraqi leader.

Long conflict

Iran's resistance can offset Iraq's protracted conflict. Both sides launched air and missile strikes against cities, military areas, oil, and transport facilities. This prompted the US and other Western countries to send warships to the Persian Gulf to regulate oil production for global markets.

Both sides continued to show strength. Even if Iran can again take over its territory, Iraq's sophisticated weaponry and its elite trained army still loom large.

In addition, Iraq also has the support of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and other Arab countries. In addition, western countries including the US are also secretly said to have supported Iraq.

Use of masks when Iraq uses chemical weapons (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

The Khomeini regime has remained largely isolated from the international community. Iran's only allies during the conflict were Syria and Libya. Iraq continues to seek peace, but this has angered the international community. This is because Iraq uses its chemical weapons against Iranian troops and Kurdish civilians in Iraq, who are considered sympathetic to Iran.

In the spring of 1988, Iran was further demoralized by the many failed attacks over the years. Iraq has launched a series of ground attacks of its own.

Iraq had the advantage of a ground offensive, assuring Iran's clerical leaders that they had little hope of victory. Until finally in July 1988, the two countries agreed to accept a UN-brokered ceasefire under Security Council Resolution 598. The war officially ended on August 20, 1988.

In August 1990, while Iraq was preoccupied with its invasion of Kuwait, Iraq and Iran restored diplomatic relations. Iraq agreed to Iran's terms of withdrawing Iraqi troops from Iranian territory, sharing sovereignty over the Shaṭṭ al-ʿArab waterway, and exchanging prisoners of war.

The toll from the Iraq-Iran War is enormous but equally uncertain. Estimates of the total number of victims range from 1.000.000 to double that number. The death toll on both sides was perhaps 500.000, with Iran suffering the greater losses. This is because almost all Arab countries supported Iraq during the war against Iran.

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