IranIraqkriget

IranIraqkriget, also known as the First Persian Gulf War or the Iran-Iraq War, was a prolonged armed conflict that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. The war pitted the Islamic Republic of Iran against the Ba'athist government of Iraq. The immediate cause of the conflict was Iraq's invasion of Iran, ostensibly to annex the oil-rich Khuzestan province and the eastern bank of the Shatt al-Arab waterway. However, underlying factors included long-standing territorial disputes, ideological differences between the secular Ba'athist regime and the revolutionary Shi'a government in Iran, and a desire by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to assert regional dominance.

The war was characterized by intense ground fighting, extensive use of chemical weapons by Iraq, and frequent large-scale offensives by both sides. Neither country achieved a decisive victory, and the conflict devolved into a costly stalemate. The war inflicted immense human and economic damage on both nations, resulting in hundreds of thousands of casualties and significant destruction of infrastructure. The international community largely remained neutral, though some countries provided support to one side or the other. The United Nations brokered a ceasefire in 1988, effectively ending the war without a clear resolution to the initial territorial claims. The conflict had profound implications for the Middle East, shaping regional politics and contributing to future tensions.