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Iran-Iraq War

The Contemporary World

The Iran-Iraq War was fought from 22 September 1980, when Iraq under Saddam Hussein invaded Iran hoping to exploit the chaos following the Iranian Revolution, to a United Nations-brokered ceasefire on 20 August 1988. Eight years of trench warfare, static front lines, mass infantry assaults and the repeated use of chemical weapons by Iraq killed on the order of half a million people, making it, by most tallies, the deadliest conventional war ever fought between the regular armies of two developing countries. The war ended in stalemate on a status quo ante bellum basis, with no territorial changes and no reparations, after inflicting catastrophic economic and human cost on both nations and drawing in outside support, including American and Soviet backing for Iraq and arms supplies to Iran, that shaped the wider Middle East for a generation. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Year
1980 1
Event Date
1980-09-22 1
Location
The Iran-Iraq border region, chiefly Khuzestan Province in Iran and the Persian Gulf 1
Disputed
Death Toll, Low Estimate
450,000 to 500,000 1
Estimates for total war dead vary by source; commonly cited figures range from about 450,000 to 500,000.
Classification
Event Type
Military Conflict 1
Connections

Associated With

Iran, Polities
Additional Source Wikipedia: Iran-Iraq WarLead section (belligerent)
Iraq, Polities
Additional Source Wikipedia: Iran-Iraq WarLead section (belligerent, invasion)

In Era

The Cold War, Eras
In the Other Atlases

Same As

Also in War and Military Atlas: the same subject.

Took Place In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject took place.

Sources
1. Wikipedia: Iran-Iraq War
Wikipedia
  • Lead section (casualties)
    The war caused around 500,000 deaths (excluding numbers from the related Anfal campaign), making it the deadliest conventional war ever fought between regular armies of developing countries.
  • Lead section (dates)
    22 September 1980 - 20 August 1988
  • Lead section (year)
    22 September 1980 - 20 August 1988
  • Lead section (location)
    Iran-Iraq border, Persian Gulf
  • Lead section (casualty range, low estimate)
    The war caused around 500,000 deaths (excluding numbers from the related Anfal campaign)
  • Lead section (casualty range, high estimate)
    The war caused around 500,000 deaths (excluding numbers from the related Anfal campaign)
  • Iran-Iraq War: Event Type
    The Iran-Iraq War was fought from 22 September 1980, when Iraq under Saddam Hussein invaded Iran hoping to exploit the chaos following the Iranian Revolution, to a United Nations-brokered ceasefire on 20 August 1988.
  • Associated With: Iran, Lead section (belligerent)
    Iraq under Saddam Hussein invaded Iran
  • Associated With: Iraq, Lead section (belligerent, invasion)
    Iraq under Saddam Hussein invaded Iran hoping to exploit the chaos following the Iranian Revolution
  • In Group: Events of the Late Cold War and After, 1970 to 1999, Lead
    The Iran-Iraq War, also called the First Imposed War, Eight-Year War, or Sacred Defense by Iran, began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran in September 1980.
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