Iran-Iraq War

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What are the dates of the Iran-Iraq war?

• 1980-1988

What were Saddam Hussein’s reasons for going to war with Iran?

• Ayotallah Khomeini: called on Iraqi’s to rise up and overthrow Saddam Hussein (majority of Iraq’s pop=Shiite)

• Gain valuable territory: Iran- several ports to export oil (Persian Gulf). Iraq wanted Shatt al Arab waterway

• Iran weak (after revolution) - key time to attack

  • Economy in chaos

  • Facing a Western boycott on trade because of capture of US embassy

  • weak armed forces

  • more likely to have support of West/Arab states

What advantage did Iran have?

• bigger population meant lots of forces willing to become martyrs for cause

  • within 2 years- regained all land taken and cut Iraq off from sea ports

Describe aspects of the war:

• By 1984 - trench warfare

• ‘War of Cities’ - lots of civilian deaths

What was the Arab states involvement in the war?

• Most supported Iraq

• feared if Iran won= create Iraqi state loyal to Khomeni/Shiite

• Saudi/Gulf states/Egpyt and Jordan supplied money/arms to Iraq

How did the USA, Soviet Union and Europe intervene in the war?

• USA/Soviet Union etc all supported Iraq

• opposed new Islamic regime in Iran

• France became main supplier of Iraq

• USA- provided Iraq with equipment

Why did the USA support Iraq/intervene

• After Iran talked of advancing on Baghdad - fear of Iran controlling so much oil in the Gulf

• Iran in control= might lead to collapse of pro Western regimes in Gulf

  • turned a blind eye to chemical weapons used against Iranians (criticism/working with dictatorship)

What was the Iran-Contra affair

• secret US arms deal that traded missiles and other arms to free Americans held hostage in Lebanon

• used funds to support armed conflict in Nicaragua (against communism)

• weapons sold to Iran through Israeli contacts despite trade embargo

  • care more about resources/self interest (£?)

Why did the war end?

• 1988

• iran accepted a ceasefire as economy was in ruins/faced prospect of direct war with USA (can’t handle - US superior over Arab states)

  • but only a truce not a peace treaty

How many died in the war?

• nearly a million Iranians

• Half a million Iraqis

Problems faced by Iraq after the war?

• didn’t succeed in gaining oil reserves/Persian gulf: Economy worsened esp after war (leads to Kuwait attack)

• Hussien? more paranoid/blaming minorities (reppresion of Kurds)