I recently read a book based in the context of the Iranian revolution, but I didn’t quite understand the parts where it dicusses the Iran/Iraq war. Upon looking at videos, it seems like a very long and complex conflict. What are the main ideas that make it easier to understand?
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After the Iranian revolution the Iraqi government under Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath Party saw Iran’s government as weak and decided to annex the oil rich parts of the nation. The two nations had seen skirmishes and high tensions for some time, and outright war between the two seemed to be an inevitability.
The Iranian army was demoralized and damaged by the revolution but Saddam and his Generals mistakenly assumed it would be a cakewalk. Iraq was also somewhat unstable under the dictator in this era, so launching a (successful) war was a good way to not only boost Saddam’s popularity but also to assert control over the region.
Initial attacks went well but the Iranian forces fought back effectively and the conflict soon turned into a brutal stalemate.
Iraq was using advanced Soviet technology while the Iranians were using state-of-the-art America equipment (including famously F-14s) that had been acquired under the previous pro-Western regime under the Shah. The problem now was that Iran couldn’t get supplies from the US anymore so its supply of high-tech weapons was quite limited while the Iraqis could get in a steady stream of supplies from the USSR.
As the war dragged on both sides turned to using increasing amount of basic infantry and less high tech arms. Human wave attacks and trench warfare became common place, and eventually escalated to using chemical weapons. Many historians compare the style of fighting in this war to WW1.
This also expanded into a naval war as the limited navies of both countries attacked each other and their oil shipping in the Persian Gulf.
Foreign naval forces including the US had to step in the stabilize the region, and on more than one occasion US forces took advantage of the situation to attack Iraqi facilities. The US also accidentally shot down an Iranian passenger jet killing almost 300 civilians.
After almost a decade the UN brokered a cease-fire between both sides. Over a million civilians died, but the exact death toll isn’t clear.
With the war over Iraq turned its attention and considerable military forces towards its oil rich neighbor of Kuwait instead. The invasion of Kuwait was swift and successful (and arguably what Saddam should have done a decade earlier)
This however attracted the wrath of the Western coalition leading up to Operation Desert Storm.
What do you mean by “what are the main ideas”? The events and battles tgat happend during the war can be look up on wikipedia. Maybe if you expand on what you find complex about the war we can help you but currently your question is so broad that its impossible to anwser and if you want just a break down of events there are good websites out there that will give you that.
Think of the Iran/Iraq War like a really intense rivalry. This happened between 1980 and 1988. Before this all started, Iran went through a big change called the Iranian Revolution where they changed their leader. Iraq, led by Saddam Hussein at the time, thought this might be a good time to sort out some old disputes they had with Iran, including fights over land and who got to control what in the area.
1. **Starting Point**: Iraq attacked Iran in 1980, hoping to take advantage of the chaos in Iran and maybe even grab some important areas full of oil. They thought they could win quickly and easily.
2. **It Gets Complicated**: But, the war didn’t go as anyone expected. Instead of being quick, it dragged on for 8 years. Both countries used regular armies, and they fought over land, sea, and air. It was like an extended tug-of-war with lots of back and forth but no clear winner.
3. **The Human Cost**: It was really, really tough for people living in both countries. Lots of soldiers and civilians died or got hurt, and the countries spent a ton of money.
4. **Chemical Weapons and Superpower Involvement**: Things got even worse when chemical weapons were used. Other countries, including some big players like the USA and the Soviet Union, got involved in different ways, supplying weapons or support but not directly fighting.
5. **Stalemate and End**: In the end, neither side really won. They decided to stop fighting in 1988, and the borders pretty much went back to how they were before the war started.
So, think of it as a very serious and sad conflict where both sides thought they might gain something but ended up with a lot of loss instead.
Extremely simplified version. Iraq attacked Iran and took a big chunk of territory in the first month, then Iran retook most of it over the next 2 years. Then it was pretty much a stalemate for the next 6 years with both countries taking and losing small area of land to each other. The War was costly and long for both countries so eventually they agree to sign peace and get back to the pre-war border.
Why did Iraq invade Iran? There was several reasons, some were more excuses, or public justification than others. In no particular order :
1) The southern border region between Iran and Iraq have been a subject of conflict and war for a long time. The South of Iraq is Shiite just like the majority of Iran, while the South of Iran is populated by Arab just like Iraq. So there was always dispute between the two countries on who controlled that Shiite Arab region.
2) Oil. There is a lot of oil in that Shiite Arab region and both countries want that oil. The Iraqi occupied most of the oil field in the region at the start of the war.
3) The Iranian Revolution was viewed as dangerous by Saddam Hussein as a theocratic government could try to exploit the religious division in the country (Iraq have a Sunnite North and a Shiite South). A religious revolution taking control of Iran is something that could also happen in Iraq.
One of the main motivations was money/resources. Saddam was bankrupting Iraq, and wanted Iran’s resources. It’s also the motivation for his invasion of Kuwait.
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