Facts About Iran-Iraq War

What Caused Iran Iraq War

The Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988) was caused by a mix of border disputes, religious/ideological rivalry, power-seeking, and regional fear — all exploding together.

The main causes were:

The Iranian Revolution (1979): After Ruhollah Khomeini came to power, Iran promoted its Islamic revolutionary ideology. Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein feared this would inspire Iraq's majority Shiite population to rebel against his Sunni-led Ba'athist government.

Border disputes: Iran and Iraq had long disagreed over control of the Shatt al-Arab waterway, an important shipping route to the Persian Gulf. Saddam wanted to reverse concessions Iraq had made in the 1975 Algiers Agreement and gain greater control of the area.

Opportunity after Iran's revolution: Iran's military had been weakened by the revolution, purges, and internal unrest. Saddam believed Iran was vulnerable and expected a quick victory if he invaded.

Regional power ambitions: Iraq sought to become the dominant power in the Persian Gulf and hoped to weaken Iran permanently, including gaining influence over the oil-rich Iranian province of Khuzestan.

Who Supported Whom (1980–1988)

Supported Iraq (Saddam Hussein)

• Soviet Union: Main arms supplier — tanks, jets, missiles
• United States: Intelligence, helicopter parts, diplomatic cover, encouraged allies to help
• France: Advanced jets, missiles, military training
• Saudi Arabia & Kuwait: Billions in loans, fuel, financial backing
• Egypt, Jordan, Gulf States: Weapons, logistics, political support
• Many others: Almost the entire Arab world + Western bloc backed Iraq

Supported Iran

• No major power openly backed Iran — it was nearly isolated
• Limited help: Syria, Libya, North Korea, China — sold some weapons & parts
• Covert/irregular: Israel secretly sold spare parts & weapons (later exposed in Iran-Contra Affair).

How the war began

On 22 September 1980, Iraq invaded Iran, expecting to win within weeks. Instead, Iranian resistance halted the invasion, and the conflict turned into an eight-year war of trench warfare, missile attacks, and chemical weapons.

Outcome

The war ended in 1988 with a UN-brokered ceasefire. Neither side gained significant territory, but the conflict caused roughly 500,000 to 1 million deaths, devastated both economies, and left lasting political and military consequences across the Middle East.

Casualty Comparison (Estimates):

Side	Military Deaths	Civilian Deaths	Total Dead	Wounded
Iran	~350,000	~100,000	~450,000	~700,000
Iraq	~180,000	~40,000	~220,000	~400,000
Combined	~530,000	~140,000	~670,000+	~1,100,000

Iran suffered roughly twice as many deaths as Iraq. The war killed nearly 700,000 people total — more than WWI’s Western Front in some counts — yet neither side gained territory. It was a war with no real winner.

Chemical Weapon

Chemical weapons are prohibited under international law, both in how they are used and, under modern treaty law, in possessing and developing them.

The key legal framework is the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which entered into force in 1997. It prohibits countries from developing chemical weapons, producing them, acquiring or stockpiling them, transferring them, and using them in warfare.

But importantly, the prohibition existed before 1997. The 1925 Geneva Protocol prohibited the use of chemical and biological weapons in war, although it did not originally prohibit countries from producing or stockpiling them.

What about the Iran–Iraq War?

Iraq's extensive use of chemical weapons during the 1980s was therefore against international law, even though Iraq was not yet a party to the CWC.

For example, Iraq used chemical weapons against Iranian troops and Kurdish civilians, including the 1988 Halabja attack, in which thousands of people were killed.

From when was using chemical weapons considered illegal in international law?

There isn't one single year, because the legal prohibition developed in stages.

The key dates

• 1899 — Hague Declaration: Prohibited certain projectiles intended to spread asphyxiating gases. This was an early restriction, but it was narrow.
  
  
• 1925 — Geneva Protocol: Prohibited the use of chemical and biological weapons in war. This is the major date for the international-law prohibition on using chemical weapons.
  
  
• 1975 — Biological Weapons Convention: Strengthened the international prohibition concerning biological weapons.
  
  
• 1997 — Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC): Went much further, prohibiting not only use, but also development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, and transfer of chemical weapons.

The best answer is 1925, with the Geneva Protocol.

Therefore, when Iraq used chemical weapons against Iran in the 1980s, the use was already prohibited under international law. Iraq had not joined the 1925 Protocol at the time, however, so the precise legal analysis is more complicated than simply saying "Iraq violated a treaty it had signed." The prohibition also became increasingly recognized as a broader rule of international law.

From Iran-Iraq War to the Gulf War

The Iran–Iraq War ended on August 20, 1988, when the UN-brokered ceasefire took effect.

The Gulf War began on January 17, 1991, when the U.S.-led coalition began its major air campaign against Iraq. So the interval was about 2 years and 5 months.

Kuwait had financially supported Iraq during its war with Iran, and only about two years after that war ended, Iraq invaded Kuwait.

During the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988), Kuwait was one of Iraq's major financial supporters. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia provided Iraq with tens of billions of dollars in loans and financial assistance to help it fight Iran.

After the war, however, Iraq was heavily indebted and Saddam expected Kuwait and other Gulf states to help Iraq recover. Instead, relations deteriorated rapidly.