✦ History

Iran–Iraq War

September 22, 1980 – August 20, 1988

Iraq under Saddam Hussein invaded Iran in September 1980, beginning an eight-year war driven by border disputes, Iraqi fears of Iran exporting its revolution, and ambitions for regional dominance. The fighting, which included trench warfare and chemical weapons use, killed around 500,000 people. Both sides accepted a UN-brokered ceasefire that took effect in August 1988, with borders essentially unchanged.

View war on globe Full event page

Battles 12

September 22 – November 10, 1980
Battle of Khorramshahr (1980) Battle of Khorramshahr (1980) Saddam Hussein, Abolhassan Banisadr, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri
November 6, 1980 – September 27, 1981
Siege of Abadan Siege of Abadan Ruhollah Khomeini, Saddam Hussein, Kamel Sajid
November 29, 1980
Operation Morvarid Operation Morvarid Bahram Afzali, Javad Fakoori
November 29 – December 7, 1981
Operation Tariq al-Quds Operation Tariq al-Quds Mohammad Boroujerdi, Hossein Kharrazi, Gholam Ali Rasheed
March 22–28, 1982
Operation Fath ol-Mobin Operation Fath ol-Mobin Saddam Hussein, Mohammad Boroujerdi, Ali Sayyad Shirazi
April 24 – May 24, 1982
Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas Mohsen Rezaee, Ali Sayyad Shirazi, Gholam Ali Rasheed
July 13 – August 3, 1982
Operation Ramadan Operation Ramadan Ruhollah Khomeini, Saddam Hussein, Maher Abd al-Rashid
February 14 – March 19, 1984
Operation Kheibar Operation Kheibar Mohsen Rezaee, Hossein Kharrazi, Mohammad Ebrahim Hemmat
March 10–20, 1985
Operation Badr (1985) Operation Badr (1985) Mohsen Rezaee, Sultan Hashim Ahmad al-Tai, Mehdi Bakeri
February 11 – March 10, 1986
First Battle of al-Faw First Battle of al-Faw Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Maher Abd al-Rashid, Mohsen Rezaee
January 8 – February 26, 1987
Operation Karbala-5 Operation Karbala-5 Saddam Hussein, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Maher Abd al-Rashid
April 17–18, 1988
Second Battle of al-Faw Second Battle of al-Faw Ruhollah Khomeini, Saddam Hussein, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani

Key commanders

Iran 14

Ruhollah Khomeini belligerent leader Abolhassan Banisadr military commander Hooshang Samadi military commander Mostafa Chamran military commander Mohammad Boroujerdi military commander Bahram Afzali military commander Javad Fakoori military commander Hossein Kharrazi military commander Gholam Ali Rasheed military commander Ali Sayyad Shirazi military commander Mohsen Rezaee military commander Mohammad Ebrahim Hemmat military commander Mehdi Bakeri military commander Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani military commander

Iraq 8

Saddam Hussein belligerent leader Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri military commander Kamel Sajid military commander Wafiq al-Samarrai military commander Maher Abd al-Rashid military commander Sultan Hashim Ahmad al-Tai military commander Sadi Tuma Abbas military commander Adnan Khairallah military commander