Musings On Iraq review The Gulf War, The Origins and Implications of the Iraq-Iran Conflict
Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq Naval War, Volume 1: Opening Blows September-November 1980
Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War
Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988
Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988
Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 1: The Battle for Khuzestan, September 1980-May 1982
Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986
Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph
Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts
Musings On Iraq review Iraq in Wartime, Soldiering, Martyrdom, and Remembrance
Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988
Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict
Musings On Iraq review The Saddam Tapes, The Inner Workings of a Tyrant’s Regime 1978-2001
Musings On Iraq review Saddam’s War, An Iraqi Military Perspective of the Iran-Iraq War
Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With
Musings On Iraq review Vanguard of the Imam, Religion, Politics, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard
Musings On Iraq interview with author Anthony Tucker-Jones on Iran-Iraq War
Musings On Iraq interview with author Tom Cooper on Iran-Iraq War
1979
Feb 12 Iraq recognized the new revolutionary government in Iran
Feb 13 Iraq sent memo to new provisional govt in Iran after revolution asking for
friendly relations
Apr 15 Pres Bakr welcomed announcement of Islamic Republic in Iran and again
asked for good relations Invited PM Bazargan to Baghdad
Jul 17 Saddam called for Iraqi-Iranian friendship after Iranian Revolution
Sep 3 At Non-Aligned Movement meeting Iraq and Iran agreed to end animosity between
them
Sep 24 Iraq warned Iran to not to interfere in Bahrain after Ayatollah Khomeini’s son
called on Shiites to rise up against their Sunni rulers
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
(Musings On Iraq review Saddam’s War, An Iraqi Military Perspective of the Iran-Iraq War)
Oct 30 Saddam brought up control of Shatt al-Arab with Iran
Oct 31 Saddam demanded end of Algiers Treaty Iran give up two border towns and give
autonomy to Iran’s Kurds and Arabs
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
(Musings On Iraq review Saddam’s War, An Iraqi Military Perspective of the Iran-Iraq War)
Nov 6 Iraq’s consulates in Iran’s Kermanshah and Khorramshahr were occupied
Nov 29 Iranian joint chiefs agreed to prepare for an Iraqi attack and planned to retaliate by
hitting Iraqi air bases
1980
Feb 8 Saddam proposed pan-Arab charter of non-aligned Arab states to oppose
superpowers in region and to unite against Iran
(Musings On Iraq review Saddam’s War, An Iraqi Military Perspective of the Iran-Iraq War)
Mar 8 Iran withdrew its ambassador from Iraq
Mar 10 Iraq declared Iran’s ambassador persona non-grata as dispute between two countries
built-up
Mar 15 Ayatollah Khomeini called on Iraqis to rise up against Saddam
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
(Musings On Iraq review Saddam’s War, An Iraqi Military Perspective of the Iran-Iraq War)
Mar 21 Ayatollah Khomeini’s son Ahmad said that Iran had to use all means necessary to
spread its revolution to other countries
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
(Musings On Iraq review Saddam’s War, An Iraqi Military Perspective of the Iran-Iraq War)
Apr 1 Mustansiriya Univ in Baghdad bombed by Islamic Action Organization in
attempt on life of Deputy PM Tariq Aziz Iraq blamed Iran
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
(Musings On Iraq review Saddam’s War, An Iraqi Military Perspective of the Iran-Iraq War)
Apr 2 Saddam said those killed in attack on Mustansiriya Univ Baghdad bombing would
not be forgotten
Apr 5 Saddam gave speech saying conflict with Iran was about Arabs vs Persians and
denounced Ayatollah Khomeini
Apr 5 Bomb hit funeral procession in Baghdad of Mustansiriya bombing victims Done
by Islamic Action Organization Iran again blamed
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
(Musings On Iraq review Saddam’s War, An Iraqi Military Perspective of the Iran-Iraq War)
Apr 6 Iraqi commandos fired rockets at Iranian oil field
Apr 7 Iran withdrew all its diplomatic personnel from Iraq
Apr 7 Iran put its military on full alert after accusing Iraq of repeated attacks upon
its border area
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
Apr 8 DIA said 50% chance Iraq would invade Iran Said Iraq thought Iranian military
weak and could easily be defeated
Apr 8 Ayatollah Khomeini broadcast speech calling on Iraq’s people to topple their govt
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
(Musings On Iraq review Saddam’s War, An Iraqi Military Perspective of the Iran-Iraq War)
Apr 9 Saddam deported 9,700 Shiites claiming they were Iranians Later deported
another 16,000
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
Apr 18 Kheomini said Baath at war with Islam and called on Iraqi army and people to
overthrow Saddam
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
(Musings On Iraq review Saddam’s War, An Iraqi Military Perspective of the Iran-Iraq War)
Apr 22 Khomeini revealed that Ayatollah Baqir al-Sadr had been executed and called for
overthrow of Saddam
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
Apr 23 Ayatollah Khomeini radio broadcast called for rank and file Iraqi soldiers to overthrow
Baath
(Musings On Iraq review Saddam’s War, An Iraqi Military Perspective of the Iran-Iraq War)
Apr 27 Radio Tehran aired fake story that Saddam had been assassinated
Apr 30 By end of April around 20 Iraqi officials had been killed in bombings by
Shiite opposition parties
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
(Musings On Iraq review Saddam’s War, An Iraqi Military Perspective of the Iran-Iraq War)
Jun 4 Iraqi Air Force bombed Iranian army base where KDP organizing peshmerga Iraq
felt Iran was going to start funding another Kurdish revolt Started retaliatory bombing campaign along border between Iraq and Iran
Jul 6 Saddam told Baath Party leadership he was going to invade Iran
(Musings On Iraq review Saddam’s War, An Iraqi Military Perspective of the Iran-Iraq War)
Jul 9 Former Shah generals launched failed coup vs Khomeini Iraq blamed but wasn’t
involved
Jul 16 Saddam told chiefs of staff that he was going to invade Iran Saddam thought Iran weak but
didn’t think Iraq could fight a total war and reach Tehran Decided on limited war based upon seizing Shatt al-Arab waterway Saddam thought war would allow Iraq to assert its influence over Iran and deter Khomeini from exporting his revolution
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 1: The Battle for Khuzestan, September 1980-May 1982)
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
(Musings On Iraq review Saddam’s War, An Iraqi Military Perspective of the Iran-Iraq War)
Jul 18 CIA memo said that border clashes pointed to possible war between Iran and Iraq
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Aug 5 Saddam went to Riyad to tell King Khalid Iraq was going to invade and Iran and
asked for financial backing King questioned war and was afraid of repercussions Said Saudi military was weak and was afraid of Soviet intervention Couldn’t change Saddam’s mind and gave him tacit support
Aug 18 Iranian Navy cmdr gave orders In the event of war with Iraq to control all commercial
shipping traffic Ordered creation of Task Force 421 to command all naval ops during a war
Aug 26 After Saddam visited Khanaqin Diyala Iraqi army started shelling Iranian border
Was looking for excuse to justify invasion
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
Sep 2 Iraq-Iran border clash at Qasr-e-Shirin in central Iran across from Diyala province
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
Sep 2 Iranian intel finally able to convince a member of ruling clique that Iraqi invasion was
imminent Iranian leadership ordered implementation of pre-war plans
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq Naval War, Volume 1: Opening Blows September-November 1980)
Sep 4 Iran shelled Khanaqin and Mandali in Diyala and bombed two other towns
Saddam accused Iran of starting hostilities
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
Sep 4 Saddam ordered army to seize disputed areas with Iran Would take 201 sq miles of
territory including small islands in Shatt al-Arab Iraqis would lose 100 soldiers while Iran 50 Goal was to push Iranian military and artillery back to secure staging areas for invasion
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Sep 4 Iraq mobilized its armed forces to prepare for invasion of Iran
Sep 6 Iran shelled more borders towns in Iraq from Zain al-Qas
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
Sep 6 Iraq threatened to seize Zain al-Qas area if Iran didn’t cede it in a week
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Sep 6 Orders given for Iraq to prepare for war with Iran
Sep 6 Ayatollah Khomeini approved National Security Council authorizing Pres Banisadr to
activate the armed forces for coming Iraqi invasion
Sep 7 Saddam claimed full sovereignty over Shatt al-Arab waterway
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
Sep 7 Iraq officially protested to Iran about shelling border towns Seized Zain
Al-Qas in retaliation
Sep 7 5 Iraqi helicopters crossed over into Iran and 1 got shot down
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Sep 7 Iraqi forces seized border area within Iran across from Diyala
Sep 8 Iraq demanded Iran surrender border towns that Iraq claimed
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
Sep 8 Iranian F-14 pilot killed by an Iraqi MiG-25 2 other F-14s shot down by an Iraqi MiG-21
and an Su-22 inside Iran
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Sep 9 Iranian F-5 Tiger II jet shot down by an Iraqi MiG-21
Sep 10 Iraq took Saif Saad and 6 border posts in Iran along with 240 sq km of Iranian territory
that it claimed was Iraqi under Algiers Treaty Next 2 wks were 15 border incidents Was jumping off spot for Iraqi invasion
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
Sep 10 Iranian F-14 Tomcat shot down an Iraqi Su-22
Sep 10 Iran’s Foreign Min Hammadi said Iranian troops would not withdraw from disputed areas
along Iran-Iraq border
Sep 11 Iraq sent protest letter to Iran saying border incidents violated international law
and if they continued situation could escalate quickly Iraq said it would defend itself
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
Sep 12 Iraq seized Qasr e-Shirin in Iran next to Diyala province and claimed it took 30
miles of disputed territory along Iranian border Bombed Kermanshah Iran southeast of Qasr e-Shirin to try to take out militia in that area
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
Sep 12 Iranian patrol boat sent up Shatt al-Arab to investigate border violation by Iraq Ambushed by
Iraqi army Killed and wounded 5 Iranian sailors
Sep 13 In 2 days Iraq seized 5 border posts from Iran Tehran didn’t retaliate making
Saddam believe reports that Iran was weak after revolution true
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
Sep 14 Iran’s Chief of Staff of military said it no longer abided by 1975 Algiers
Agreement with Iraq over Shatt al-Arab border
Sep 14 Iran’s Pres Bani Sadr and PM Rajai flying in helicopter along Iran-Iraq border
was fired upon by an Iraqi MiG Iraq didn't know who was in the helicopter
Sep 14 Iran sent military reinforcements to border over clashes with Iraq
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
Sep 15 Iran accused Iraq of attempting to shoot down helicopter with Iranian Pres Bani
Sadr and Premier Rajai on it
Sep 15 Iranian F-14 Tomcat shot down an Iraqi MiG
Sep 16 Revolutionary Command Council met to discuss border skirmishes with Iran Saddam said Iran
vulnerable and this was the time Iraq could seize control of Shatt al-Arab and disputed territories between the two Saddam said that Iran would not fight Iraq because it was afraid Saddam told advisers that he would order invasion of Iran in coming days
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
(Musings On Iraq review Saddam’s War, An Iraqi Military Perspective of the Iran-Iraq War)
Sep 16 Ali Hassan al-Majid head of Mukhabarat only one of Saddam’s advisers to voice
concerns about going to war with Iran
Sep 16 Saddam told Def Min Khairallah “We will force their [Iran’s] head into the mud to enforce our
political will on them which can only happen militarily
Sep 16 Iraqi army seized Iranian territory across from Maysan and Diyala
Sep 17 Saddam called emergency session of parliament and announced 1975 Algiers Treaty on
border and Shatt al-Arab with Iran was voided Blamed Iran’s constant violations of Iraqi sovereignty for failure of 1975 treaty Said Shatt al-Arab needed to be Arab as it had been throughout history
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
Sep 17 Saddam gave TV speech Said Iran violated 1975 Algiers Treaty was backing Kurds
Refused to return Iraqi territory Saddam then abrogated the 1949 Treaty of Good Relations and 1975 Algiers Treaty Also claimed sovereignty over Shatt al-Arab waterway
(Musings On Iraq review Iraq in Wartime, Soldiering, Martyrdom, and Remembrance)
Sep 17 Iran refused Saddam’s demands and sent forces to Iraqi border Said US backing Iraq for a
counterrevolution
Sep 17 Heavy fighting broke out between Iraqi and Iranian forces in Shatt al-Arab
Sep 18 Iran’s Foreign Minister rejected Iraq’s claim to Shatt al-Arab
Sep 18 Saddam sent Dep PM Aziz to Arab countries to argue Iraq’s case to back it against
Iran
Sep 18 Iraqi artillery hit Iranian city of Abadan
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
Sep 18 2 Iranian F-5 Tiger IIs fired upon Iraqi troops along the Iran-Iraq border and were
shot down by Iraqi anti-aircraft fire
Sep 18 2 Iraqi divisions seized border posts in Iran’s Khuzistan province
Sep 18 Iraq’s generals made final battle plans for invasion of Iran and set 9/22/80 as
invasion date Seizure of border areas reinforced Iraq’s image of Iran being weak after revolution
Sep 19 Iran began heavy shelling of Shatt al-Arab Iranian patrol boat ambushed by Iraqis 8
Iranian sailors killed Boat lost
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
Sep 20 Iran called up its military reserves that barely existed due to revolution
Sep 20 Iraq’s Def Min Khairallah went to Iran-Iraq border to give commanders orders for
Iran invasion
Sep 20 Iraqi navy seized buoy at mouth of Shatt al-Arab 2 Iranian helicopters sent to destroy
Iraqi ship 1 Iranian helicopter crashed
Sep 21 Iraq letter to UN outlined steps it took to try to work out outstanding issues with
new revolutionary govt in Iran
Sep 21 Iranian Task Force 421 created to command Iranian Navy and commercial shipping
during war with Iraq
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq Naval War, Volume 1: Opening Blows September-November 1980)
Sep 22 Iraq attacked Iran’s air force starting Iran-Iraq War Attacked 10 air bases but did little
damage and only destroyed 4 planes and lost 5 of its own Were not trained for low level bombings Didn’t have munitions to penetrated bunkers and missed most runways
(Musings On Iraq Inauspicious Start To Iran-Iraq War)
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
(Musings On Iraq review Saddam’s War, An Iraqi Military Perspective of the Iran-Iraq War)
Sep 22 Invasion plan was to seize Khorramshahr Dezful Ahwaz Abadan along border in less
than 10 days Deployed 2nd Corps in Diyala to protect route to Baghdad 3rd Corps would invade Khuzistan province to take Dezful Ahwaz Khorramshahr
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
(Musings On Iraq review Armies of the Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)
Sep 22 Iraqi invasion of Iran began with divisions leaving Diyala towards Qasr e-Shirin
in center to protect route to Baghdad Also attacked Panjwin to protect Sulaymaniya and Kirkuk in north
Sep 22 Iraq Attacked Iranian naval base at Khosrowabad at mouth of Shatt al-Arab
Sep 22 Iraq declared Khuzistan a new Iraqi province
Sep 22 Iraq fired SCUD missiles at Iranian air force bases and other essential targets
Sep 22 UK Defense Committee discussed how to start selling weapons to Iraq during
war
Sep 23 All Iranian air bases bombed Sep 22 were repaired and launched attacks on 8
Iraqi airfields and the Dora refinery in Baghdad Lost 7 planes Destroyed 3 Iraqi ones
(Musings On Iraq Inauspicious Start To Iran-Iraq War)
Sep 23 Iraq retaliated with airstrikes on 2 airbases with no real results Lost 4 planes 3 by
friendly fire
Sep 23 Iran came up with Operation Kama to attack Iraqi planes in flight because
couldn’t destroy them on the ground
Sep 23 Iraq attacked towards Qasr e-Shirin across from Diyala to protect road to Baghdad Took 2
days to take pass because of strong Iranian resistance
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Sep 23 Iran bombed Faw port sinking 6 Iraqi navy ships
Sep 23 King Hussein of Jordan said he backed Iraq in war Didn’t want to lose an ally and face
Israel Syria Saudis and Iran alone Became major route for trade and weapons to Iraq
Sep 24 Iraq headed towards Zagros Mountains in slow advance destroying timeline for
invasion which was supposed to be a blitzkrieg Took Mehran central front Took Sumar in Khuzistan
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Sep 24 Iranian navy attacked Basra and Faw Peninsula Destroyed 2 Iraqi oil terminals
limiting Baghdad’s exports
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq Naval War, Volume 1: Opening Blows September-November 1980)
Sep 24 Iran started naval blockade of Shatt al-Araba waterway
Sep 24 Iranian planes attacked 6 Iraqi bases to try to destroy Iraqi air force in the air Iraq
didn’t respond relying upon air defenses 4 Iranian planes shot down 2 others lost Destroyed 3 Iraqi planes on the ground Also bombed 2 refineries in Baghdad and Basra Damaged Iraq-Turkey pipeline
Sep 24 Iraq bombed Iran’s Bandar Khomeini petrochemical complex and Ahwaz fuel depot
Sep 24 Iranian air force began bombing Iraqi navy Mostly hit merchant shipping disabling or
destroying most of the boats docked in Basra
Sep 25 Iraq began attacking Dezful, Ahvaz, Khorramshahr in Khuzistan province
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Sep 25 Iraq shelled Abadan refinery largest in world Iran retaliated with air raids on
Iraqi oil fields in Basra Zubayr Mosul Kirkuk
Sep 25 Iranian airstrike on Um Qasr driven off Iraq attacked Bushehr sinking 4 Iranian
navy ships Also bombed some tankers trapped in Shatt al-Arab
Sep 26 Khomeini issued message saying Iran was fighting for God vs Iraq Called on
Iraqi soldiers to return to Islam and not follow Saddam Called on Iraqis to rise up and overthrow Saddam
Sep 26 Saddam sent letter to UN trying to explain why Iran-Iraq War started Claimed
Iran refused to recognize Iraqi territory and sovereignty
(Musings On Iraq review Iraq in Wartime, Soldiering, Martyrdom, and Remembrance)
Sep 26 Muslim countries set up committee to try to mediate war
Sep 26 Iran and Iraq temporarily stopped oil shipments due to attacks on each others’
facilities
Sep 26 After 4 days of combat Iraq lost 16 planes vs 5 Iranian ones in air combat Another 24
Iraqi and 19 Iranian ones damaged Was too high attrition rate Iraq ordered end to air raids upon Iran as a result
Sep 26 Iraq began assault on Khorrmashahr in Khuzistan Took Qasr-e-Shirin across from Diyala
surrounded
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Sep 27 Muslim countries’ committee sent delegation to Tehran to try to end Iran-Iraq
War
Sep 27 Iraq took Qasr-e-Shirin across from Diyala Meant to secure Baghdad from Iranian attack
Sep 28 UN Resolution 479 called for ceasefire in Iran-Iraq War Rejected by Iran
Sep 28 Iraq reached Ahvaz in Khuzistan one of the main targets in the south
Sep 28 Iraq took Susangard and Bosan in Khuzistan without a fight Didn’t have forces to hold
either Set up observation posts around area
Sep 28 Saddam offered ceasefire in Iran-Iraq War Said he wanted Iran to recognize its rights to
Shatt al-Arab and the territory it seized in war Non-aggression and non interference in internal affairs
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
Sep 28 Saddam realized invasion was going slower than planned Iraqi forces hadn’t
achieved any major war goals yet
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 1: The Battle for Khuzestan, September 1980-May 1982)
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Sep 28 Iraq reached Geilan Zarb across from Maysan Didn’t attack town waited for
artillery to arrive next day
Sep 28 1st time UN Security Council discussed Iran-Iraq War Iraq’s UN ambassador
blamed Iran for war saying it violated treaties and attacked Iraqi territory
Sep 28 Muslim countries’ committee visited Tehran to try to mediate end to war
Sep 28 Soviet Tass news agency criticized Iraq invading Iran as undermining national
liberation movements in Middle East
Sep 28 PM Begin said that Israel had supported Kurds
Sep 29 Iraq took Geilan Zarb across from Maysan
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Sep 30 Ayatollah Khomeini refused all talks with Iraq to end war Demanded Saddam step
down Iraq had to admit it was aggressor and pay reparations Basra was to come under Iranian control until Iraq paid debt Referendum in Kurdistan or autonomy or joining Iran
Sep 30 Iranian air force launched Operation Scorch Sword attacking Iraq’s Osirak nuclear facility
Only caused minimal damage Also bombed Baghdad
Sep 30 Iraqi forces were stopped outside Dezful, Ahvas and Abadan in Khuzistan
Province Allowed Iran to resupply and have access to Shatt al-Arab
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
Sep 30 Soviet leader Bezhnev said Iran and Iraq were both friends of the USSR Two
needed to negotiate end to war
Sep 30 US State Dept told Italy’s Foreign Ministry that USSR turned down request by
Iraq for additional military equipment
Oct 1 Saddam halted military operations in Iran for one week
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Oct 1 Iran declared maritime blockade of Iraq
Oct 1 Iranian President Bani Sadr sent letter to UN saying Iraq started war Claimed Iraq
violated 1975 Algiers Treaty, sent agents into Iran to carry out sabotage, supported anti-revolutionary groups, expelled 40,000 Iraqis with joint Persian citizenship showing that Baghdad was hostile towards Tehran Said Iran not ready to follow UN calls for a ceasefire
Oct 1 Iraq retaliated for Iranian bombing of Osirak reactor and Baghdad by bombing
Hamadan air base
Oct 2 Iran launched counterattack on Iraq’s northern bridgehead at Penjwin Sulaymaniya 1st of the
war
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Oct 3 Ayatollah Khomeini speech said goal of war was to punish the Baath and rejected
negotiations to end it
Oct 3 Iraq Foreign Minister Hamadi presented Iraq’s case to UN claiming it acted in
self-defense in Iran-Iraq War
(Musings On Iraq review Iraq in Wartime, Soldiering, Martyrdom, and Remembrance)
Oct 3 Iraq began bombing Tehran
Oct 4 Lack of progress in Iran invasion led Iraq to announce unilateral ceasefire only 2
weeks into war Iran didn’t comply Iraq realized war would last a lot longer than planned
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Oct 5 Iraq ended unilateral ceasefire in Iran-Iraq War after Iran didn’t follow suite and
went back to fighting
Oct 6 Iraqi army surrounded Khorramshahr in Khuzistan Street fighting began Iraq bombed
Esfahan and Qom in Iran Iraq unready for urban fighting Didn’t have maps of Khorramshahr
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Oct 6 Iranian air force sunk ships to block Shatt al-Arab waterway to Persian Gulf
Oct 7 2nd day Iranian air force sunk ships to block Shatt al-Arab waterway to Persian
Gulf
Oct 10 Iraqis crossed Karun River took Darkhovin forcing Iranians to retreat to Ahwaz
in south Moved towards Abadan in Khuzistan
Oct 11 Iraqis made 2nd crossing of Karun River cut off road to Ahwaz and surrounded
Abadan in south
Oct 14 Iraqi forces entered Khorramshahr Iranians began phased withdrawal from city in
south Took Abadan-Ahwaz road Began attack on Abadan but didn’t have numbers to take it
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Oct 14 Iranian counterattack stopped Iraqi advance in Dezful area
Oct 15 Iran launched large counter attack against Iraqi forces around Andimeshk
Oct 17 UN Security Council discussed Iran-Iraq War Addressed by Iran and Iraq Iran Foreign Min
told UN Iraq was aggressor Saddam wanted to overthrow Iranian govt Iraq backed by superpowers and Arab countries Iraq Foreign Min said Iran violated treaties attacked border towns never replied to letters calling for negotiations UN Security Council backed Secretary General’s attempts to negotiate a ceasefire in Iran-Iraq War
Oct 18 Pres Carter called on Iraq to withdraw from Iran Carter was trying to get US hostages
held by Tehran released
Oct 18 Iraqi forces attempted to attack Abadan from behind but failed Iranian counterattack in
Andimeshk forced Iraqi retreat
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Oct 19 Saddam speech said Iraq couldn’t win war because outnumbered by Iran
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 1: The Battle for Khuzestan, September 1980-May 1982)
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
Oct 20 US said Iraq invasion of Iran threatened security in Gulf and land should not be seized by
force
Oct 21 Iraqi forces reached city center in Khorramshahr, Iran
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Oct 21 Taha Yassin Ramadan head of Baath Popular Army said Khuzistan oil was Iraq’s until
Iran opened negotiations to end war
Oct 22 Iraqi forces surrounded and began siege of Abadan
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Oct 23 US said Iran’s national integrity was threatened by Iraq Pres Carter was trying to get US
hostages released by Iran
Oct 24 Iraq took city center in Khorramshahr and declared it taken Fighting continued for four
more days Was supposed to be taken in 1st week of war Took one month
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Oct 25 Iraq fired missiles at Dezful, Iran
Oct 26 Iraq fired missiles at Dezful, Iran for 2nd day
Oct 26 Most of the Iranian forces driven out of Khorramshahr Gave Iraq control of Shatt al-Arab
Iraq lost 4,000-12,000 casualties
Oct 26 Soviet news agency accused Iraq of aligning with US in Iran-Iraq War
Oct 26 Iran objected to Iraq abrogating 1975 Algiers Agreement in letter to UN Claimed Iran still
following agreement and it was Baghdad that violated it Month into war and two countries were still arguing over border
Oct 28 Major fighting ended in Khorrmhshahr with Iraqis in control Iraq lost 2,000 dead 6,000
wounded Iran lost 1,500 dead Heavy losses meant Iraq gave up assault on Abadan to secure eastern shore of Shatt al-Arab and decided to surround city instead Khorramshahr was supposed to be taken in 1st wk of war Took 1 month
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Oct 28 Iranian navy made raids on Faw oil facilities in Basra
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq Naval War, Volume 1: Opening Blows September-November 1980)
Oct 29 2 Iraqi Tu-22 bombers shot down ending Baghdad’s bombing campaign of Iranian cities
Oct 30 Saddam predicted Iran-Iraq War would only last 6-12 months
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Oct 31 Iranian navy made 2nd raid on Faw oil facilities in Basra
Nov 4 Saddam told parliament he knew war was bad but he had no other choice
Nov 7 Iranian commandos attacked Iraqi oil export terminals at Mina al-Bakr and Faw
Nov 8 Saddam said Iraq was ready to withdraw from Iran if Tehran recognized Iraq’s
rights to Shatt al-Arab Iran refused
Nov 10 Last Iranian resistance in Khorramshahr ended
Nov 10 Iraq claimed Iran started Iran-Iraq War by bombing border towns in Sep 1980
(Musings On Iraq review Iraq in Wartime, Soldiering, Martyrdom, and Remembrance)
Nov 10 Iraq gave up claim to break up Iran but said its right to Iranian territory would
be determined on battlefield
Nov 13 Iraq launched new attack in Khuzistan province southern Iran Attacked Dezful but
stopped after only a few miles Iran counterattacked and recaptured Alvan Shush Naderi Iraq attacked Ahwaz but got stuck Dezful was supposed to be taken in 1st wk of war
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Nov 14 Iraq offensive to take Susangard Khuzistan started Iraq took town in Sep but abandoned it
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Nov 15 Iran began 1st major counteroffensives in Iran-Iraq War Attacked Khafajiya in Khuzistan
Nov 16 Iraq sent letter to Iran saying Baghdad was still following 1975 Algiers Accord on
Shatt al-Arab and Tehran was violating it
Nov 17 Iraq took Susangard Khuzistan 2nd time
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Nov 18 UN Special Rep to Iran and Iraq Olof Palme began mediation mission to try to stop war
Nov 19 Iran launched 2nd major counterattack in Sumar in Khuzistan
Nov 26 Iraq sent letter to UN saying it was still following the 1975 Algiers Accord
on Shatt al-Arab and Iran was violating it
Nov 27 Iranian Op Morvarid began to destroy Iraqi oil terminals in Gulf and attempted to
destroy Iraqi navy Iranian commandos landed at 2 Iraqi oil terminals and destroyed them ending Iraq’s ability to export oil from Basra 2 Iranian ships then waited at mouth of Shatt al-Arab to bait Iraqi navy to come out of its bases Sank 3 Iraqi boats
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq Naval War, Volume 1: Opening Blows September-November 1980)
(Musings On Iraq review The Longest War, The Iran-Iraq Military Conflict)
Nov 27 Iran retook Susangard in Khuzistan
Nov 28 Iran’s Op Morvarid continued into next day Iranian planes sunk 7 Iraqi boats Rest of day
Iranian planes bombed Faw port destroying more Iraqi ships In total Iran lost 1 ship Iraq lost 2 oil terminals 100 dead 2 planes 13 ships Was 80% of its ships Iraqi navy was out of commission
Nov 29 Iranian attack on Iraqi oil facilities in Basra cut exports from 3.24 mil/bar/day to 550,000
bar/day
Nov 30 Iranian air force attacked Iraq’s nuclear reactor at Tuwaitha and Faw Peninsula in
Basra
Dec 2 Saddam accused US of helping Iran during Iran-Iraq war
Dec 7 Saddam announced that Iraq was going on the defensive in the Iran-Iraq War Saddam
originally thought he could seize Khuzistan province in Iraq leading to an uprising and overthrow of Khomeini govt but didn’t happen Saddam than thought Iran would negotiate new border agreement Failure to take Dezful or Abadan meant Iranian supply lines intact and could regroup
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 1: The Battle for Khuzestan, September 1980-May 1982)
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Dec 7 Iran counterattacked in Abadan in Khuzistan
Dec 10 Iran launched counteroffensive at Darkhovin to break siege of Abadan in south Failed
but put Iraq on the defensive in the first year of the war
Dec 18 Iraq advanced 50km into Zagros Mountains in Iranian Kurdistan
Dec 24 Iraq air force bombed Iran’s main oil terminal at Kharg Island for 1st time Iran bombed
Basra refinery in retaliation
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Dec 24 Iraqi division moved into Iran in north Took control of Rashah and Rayat Passes to block
any Iranian move upon Sulaymaniya
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Dec 26 Saddam said frontline in war would be new border with Iran and demanded Tehran give
self-rule to Arabs in southwestern Iran
Dec 31 Attacks upon Iranian oil facilities and ports cost it $6 bil in 1980 Attacks on Iraqi oil
facilities and ports cost $4 bil
1981
Jan 2 Iranian Op Mohammed Rasoolallah attacked Iraqi forces in Zagros Mtns Kurdistan Pushed
back by Iraqi counterattacks
(Musings On Iraq interview with author Anthony Tucker-Jones on Iran-Iraq War)
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War, The Lion of Babylon, 1980-1988)
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War)
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jan 4 Iran claimed it destroyed Iraq’s oil industry in Iran-Iraq War Was just damaged
Jan 4 Iran launched diversionary attack in Mehran Iran central front before main operation in
south
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jan 5 Iranian Pres Bani Sadr announced attack in Khafajiya in Khuzistan using Basij militia
and army Was blocked and Iraq counterattacked
Jan 5 Iran attacked south of Ahvaz to push Iraqi artillery out of range of city Suffered heavy losses
and was stopped
Jan 5 Clergy convinced Ayatollah Khomeini to launch early campaign to try to win back all the
lost territory from Iraq Started with Op Hoveyzeh 3 pronged attack 1 front in Hamdiya to break siege of Abadan in south Started bad from the start 2nd front was to reach Susangard next to Maysan 3rd front attacked towards Qasr e-Shirin in central front
Jan 5 Iranian brigade infiltrated Iraqi lines around Geilan Zarb near Qasr e-Shirin central front
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jan 6 Iran attacked towards Khafajiya in Khuzistan in Op Hoveyzeh Led to largest tank battle since
1973 Arab-Israeli War Iraq and Iran lost total of 3 tank battalions
Jan 6 Iran recaptured Geilan Zarb in center near Diyala Iran lost total of 400 dead 450 Iraqis
captured Iran didn’t have troops to hold town so retreated to hills outside Was diversionary attack from main attack in Khafajiya in Khuzistan
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jan 7 Largest tank battle since 1973 Arab-Israeli war continued for 2nd day in Op Hoveyzeh Iraq
and Iran lost total of 3 tank battalions
Jan 7 Iran recaptured Geilan Zarb in central front and Iran lost total of 400 dead Iran didn’t have
troops to hold town so retreated to hills outside
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jan 7 Iran attacked Arkavaz central front Iraqi forces retreated without much of a fight
Jan 8 Iranian commander thought he’d destroyed most of Iraqi forces Attacked Dezful Broke
through Iraqi lines but pushed back Iranians retreated In offensive Iran lost 214 Chieftain tanks and 8 Cobra helicopters Iraq lost 100 T-55 and T-62 tanks End of 1st Iranian counteroffensive in war Failed
Jan 10 Iran accused Iraq of using napalm and chemical weapons on Ahvaz, Iran in south
Jan 10 Iranian reinforcements arrived at Susangard central front Op Hoveyzeh ended with only
minimal gains Iranian clergy avoided blame for failed offensive by blaming its rival Pres Bani Sadr who was commander of military Iranian attacks in Diyala scared Saddam that road to Baghdad would be open Saddam replaced and executed commanders in Diyala as a result
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jan 15 Iraqi division in Halabja, Sulaymamiya crossed into Iran and took Nosud Valley Meant to
protect Kurdistan from any Iranian attack
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jan 16 UN Envoy Palme visited Iran and Iraq to try to negotiate ceasefire
Jan 18 Saddam accused Iran of getting US spare parts despite US embargo
Jan 18 UN Envoy Palme warned that superpowers may get involved in Iran-Iraq War
Jan 25 Islamic Conference Organization created group to try to mediate end to Iran-Iraq War
Jan 27 In response to demands from Iraq that had lost air superiority to Iran at start of Iran-Iraq
War France started shipping first Mirage fighters secretly using plane painted in Jordanian colors
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Feb 1 Iraq received 1st of 4 shipments of Mirage jets from France despite Paris claiming
neutrality in Iran-Iraq War
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Feb 4 Iraq received around 100 tanks from Eastern Europe
Feb 5 UK rejected requests by both Iraq and Iran for military equipment
Feb 9 Iran and Iraq agreed to visits by Islamic leaders who wanted to try to negotiate
a ceasefire in Iran-Iraq War
Feb 11 Iraq offered Iran a ceasefire at Non-Aligned Movement conference Iran rejected
offer
Feb 17 UN Rep Palme went to Iran and Iraq for 3rd time to try to negotiate ceasefire
Feb 22 Iran rejected UN attempts to negotiate ceasefire as long as Iraqi troops were on
Iranian territory
Feb 28 Islamic Conference Organization delegation arrived in Iran Tehran said it wanted
aggressor in the war to be determined and punished and full withdrawal from Iranian territory
Feb 28 Speaker Rafsanjani later told Islamic Conference that he was sure Iran would
win war so Tehran didn’t want negotiated settlement
Mar 1 Islamic Conference Organization group met with Ayatollah Khomeini He asked
for judgement on who was the aggressor in the war and wanted a plebiscite in Iraq to see whether the people wanted Saddam as their leader
Mar 2 Islamic Conference Organization delegation met with Saddam and his cabinet
Saddam said he wanted a ceasefire and wanted to now what Khomeini’s position was
Mar 3 Islamic Conference Organization group went back to Tehran to present its peace plan
Mar 4 Islamic Conference Organization’s peace plan was rejected by both Iran and Iraq
Mar 4 Italy authorized sale of 11 naval vessels and a floating dock worth $1.8 bil to Iraq
Mar 5 Iraq offered peace deal to Iran including a withdrawal from Iranian territory
Khomeini said no seeing offer as weakness by Saddam Iran’s rejection led to new round of attacks by Iraq
Mar 5 Report that Iraq wanted to buy military equipment from US but turned down
Mar 6 Iran demanded Islamic Conference Organization determine aggressor in the war
Mar 6 Jordanian Yarmouk Force deployed with Iraqi forces in central front
Mar 7 Iran rejected any ceasefire with Iraq Baghdad began bombing Iranian town of
Ilam and oil refinery in Khuzistan in retaliation
Mar 14 Cuba’s foreign minister arrived in Lebanon as head of Non-Aligned Movement
attempt to negotiate ceasefire in war
Mar 15 Saddam said unless Iran agreed to ceasefire he would aid Iranian opposition
groups
Mar 18 US senator told press Iraq was trying to build a nuclear bomb
Mar 19 Iraq attacked Susangard, Iran after ceasefire offer rejected by Khomeini
Mar 20 Iraqi attack on Susangard failed after one day Turning point in war Iraq couldn't
capture anymore Iranian land
Mar 22 Iraq fired missiles at Dezful and Ahvaz, Iran Was shift in war as Iraq stopped
major land operations
Mar 23 Iran said it would not accept ceasefire with Iraq as long as Saddam was in power
Mar 27 Start of second attempt by Islamic Conference to negotiate ceasefire in Iran-Iraq
War
Mar 31 Egypt began selling military equipment to Iraq
Apr 1 General uprising in Iranian Kurdistan backed by Iraq
Apr 4 Iran bombed Iraq’s H3 airbase in Anbar Destroyed 23 planes and 4 helicopters 15 other
planes damaged 6 senior Iraqi officers were executed after raid Iranians flew through Turkey and Syria Damascus provided reconnaissance and refueling for Iranians
Apr 4 Iran said it wouldn’t negotiate a ceasefire with Saddam
Apr 4 Head of US Interests Section in Iraq said that US and Iraq were growing closer
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
Apr 8 Secretary of State Haig said that Iraq was an important Middle Eastern country
and hoped for better relations in future
Apr 12 US diplomat Draper went to Baghdad to set up informal contacts with Saddam
(Musings On Iraq review The Saddam Tapes)
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
Apr 19 Dep PM Tariq Aziz said he hoped for better relations with US but skeptical it would happen
Apr 21 Kuwait gave Iraq $2 bil interest free loan to help pay for Iran-Iraq War
Apr 22 Iran began attack to retake Qasr e-Shirin central front Was to be jump off spot for invasion
into Iraq Iranians were turned back
Apr 27 Iraqi counterattack stopped Iranian effort to retake Qasr e-Shirin central front
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Apr 29 Amnesty Intl report interviewed 15 Iraqis exiles detailing torture methods used by
govt
May 4 Iraq began shelling Iran’s oil refinery at Abadan
May 5 Press report that Soviets sent military aid to Iraq through Eastern European allies
Moscow claimed it was neutral when war started
May 21 Iran Op Imam Ali launched to eliminate Iraqi threat to Susangard in Khuzistan
May 22 Iraq counterattack against Iran Op Imam Ali in Susangard Khuzistan failed
May 25 New Pres Mitterrand told Saddam France would support him during war
May 26 Iraqis forced to withdraw from around Susangard Khuzistan due to Iran Op Imam Ali
May 28 Dawa blew up an ammo and fuel dump at Baghdad Airport
(Musings On Iraq Interview with Lowy Institution’s Shanahan on history of the Dawa Party)
(Musings On Iraq review The Shi’ite Movement in Iraq)
May 28 Saddam gave speech saying Iraqi army could take any area in Iran Led to attack upon
Dehloran in central front Only held it for 12 hours and had to retreat
May 29 Iraq took Dehloran in Khuzistan Iran attacked Penjwin Sulaymaniya but stopped
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
May 31 Iran attacked Iraqi forces in Qasr-e-Shirin and Dehloran in central and northern Iran
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jun 2 Iran’s Defense Minister Chamran killed at the front
Jun 7 Israel bombed Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor at Tuwaitha to stop Saddam’s
bomb program
Jun 8 Iraq’s Defense Min launched Project 922 crash program to develop mustard gas and later tabun
sarin and VX gas
Jun 15 Report senior Shite offices dissatisfied with Saddam’s leadership of Iran-Iraq War tried 6
assassination attempts over 6 months before being discovered in June 81
Jun 16 Iraq and Iran held 1st prisoner swap set up by Red Cross during Iran-Iraq War
Jun 17 Col Qaddafi announced he would go to Tehran and Baghdad to try to negotiate
ceasefire Libya supported Iran in war
Jun 19 UN Resolution 487 condemned Israel’s destruction of Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor
Jun 21 UN representative Palme took 4th trip to Tehran to try to negotiate ceasefire to
end Iran-Iraq War
Jun 24 UK signed trade pact with Baghdad that would expand trade to more than $2 bil/yr
Jun 28 Iraq offered Ramadan ceasefire but rejected by Iran
Jul 2 Iran attacked Penjwin Sulaymaniya Was stopped
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jul 3 Saddam offered another truce in war rejected by Iran
Jul 15 Report senior Shiite officers dissatisfied with Saddam’s leadership of Iran-Iraq War tried 6
assassination attempts over 6 months before being discovered in June 81
Jul 16 Saudis offered to finance reconstruction of Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor destroyed
by Israeli air raid
Aug 6 Cuba China India Zambia PLO sent delegation to Tehran to try to end Iran-Iraq
War
Aug 12 Iran made first claim Iraq used poison gas in war
Aug 25 Saddam met with military command Said strategy was to bleed Iranian army and destroy
Iran’s oil and electricity industry
Aug 26 85 POWs exchanged between Iraq and Iran in Cyprus 2nd prisoner exchange
of Iran-Iraq War
Sep 1 Iran began campaign to retake all of Khuzistan province Would lead to 1st major victory for
Iran in war Started with attack on Khafajiya
Sep 2 Iran attacked Dahlawiya in campaign to retake Khuzistan Turned back by Iraqis Launched
offensive to clear Qasr e Shirin in center Defeated Lost 3000 dead
Sep 3 Iranian attack pushed back Iraqi forces in central front in thrust to retake Qasr e-Shirin
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Sep 15 Reagan administration discussed covert arms deal with Iraq to get a Russian
T-72 tank in return Iraq rejected idea
Sep 17 Secretary of State Haig met with Iraq’s Amb to UN Salah Part of Iraq courting new Reagan
admin for aid during Iran-Iraq War
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
Sep 18 Iran attacked Dahlawiya for 2nd time in campaign to free Khuzistan province Iran lost 2000
dead
Sep 22 Iran began Operation Samen ol Aemeh to break siege of Abadan Iran’s 2nd
largest city
Sep 26 Iran Op Samen ol-Ameh to break siege of Abadan began Infiltrated Iraqi lines
and forced Iraqis to retreat to Darkhovin in south 1st major Iranian victory
Sep 26 International Atomic Energy Agency condemned Israel’s destruction of Osirak
nuclear reactor and suspended aid to Israel
Sep 27 Iraqis withdrew in disarray losing most of their equipment in face of Iran Op Samen ol-
Ameh in Abadan Khuzistan
Sep 29 Iran retook Abadan 2nd largest city in Iran 2000-3000 Iranians 600-1500 Iraqis
died 5000 Iranian wounded 2500 Iraqis captured Opened road to allow supplies and reinforcements to western Iran Iraqi forces withdrew to Khorramshahr
Sep 30 Plane crash killed Iran’s Defense Minister Air Force chief Chief of general staff
Oct 2 Iran bombed 4 hydroelectric power plants in Iraq
Oct 22 UN backed Islamic Conference Organization’s attempt to end war
Nov 5 Iraq offered Muharram ceasefire
Nov 10 Iran rejected Iraqi call for a ceasefire and said it was a sign of weakness by Baghdad
Nov 13 UN Resolution 36/27 again criticized Israel’s destruction of Osirak nuclear
reactor and said Israel should pay for damages
Nov 29 Iran Op Tariq al-Quds began to free Bostan Started with drive in Susangard Iraqi
counterattack retook most of the lost territory Part of Iranian campaign to retake Khuzistan province Pres Rafsanjani told parliament he would push Iraqis back to the border
Dec 2 Iranian Op Tariq al-Quds Revolutionary Guard began 1st human wave attacks in
war in Bostan Suffered heavy losses
(Musings On Iraq interview with Naval Postgraduate School’s Ostovar on history of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard)
(Musings On Iraq review Vanguard of the Imam, Religion, Politics, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard)
(Musings On Iraq review Armies of the Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)
Dec 6 Iran freed Bostan strategic transportation center for southern Iran and forced an
Iraqi retreat Iraq lost 1500 dead 400 captured Iran lost 2500 dead 5000 wounded
Dec 10 Report that Soviet Union resumed arms deliveries to Iraq after ban when Iran-
Iraq War started
Dec 12 Iranian Op Matla al-Fajar attacked Qasr e-Shirin area in center across from Diyala
Took Geilan Zarb and Sar e-Pol e-Zahab
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Dec 15 Iraq said it was ready to end war if Iran recognized borders Iran rejected offer
Dec 16 Iranian Op Matla al-Fajar reached outside Hamid in center and stopped
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Dec 17 Iraqi counterattack lost most of lost ground from Iranian Op Matla al-Fajar in central front
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Dec 21 Kuwait and UAE agreed to loan Iraq $2 bil to help during Iran-Iraq War
Dec 29 Syria said it would start talks with Iran to try to end Iran-Iraq War
Dec 31 End of 1st yr of Iran-Iraq War 22,000 Iraqi 38,000 Iranian dead
1982
Jan 1 Peshmerga bombed Iraq-Turkey oil pipeline
Jan 5 Iran retook Gilan e Gharb but failed to take Naft Shah in central front
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jan 26 Iran and Iraq agreed to family visits for prisoners of war
Jan 29 King Hussein said Jordanian troops would be sent to Iraq to help in Iran-Iraq War
Feb 6 Iraq launched attack to seize Bostan Khuzistan Started during rain storm and muddy
conditions meaning little progress
Feb 9 Iraqi offensive to seize Bostan Khuzistan ended due to rainy conditions
Feb 13 Saddam ordered new attack upon Bostan Khuzistan Still raining and failed again
Feb 27 US removed Iraq from list of terrorist countries in step towards restoring relations
(Musings On Iraq review The Saddam Tapes)
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
Mar 1 UN Rep Palme said his 5th attempt to negotiate ceasefire in Iran-Iraq War failed
Mar 16 Iraq’s Deputy PM Yassin Ramadan said Iraq was ready to withdraw from Iran
and would accept ceasefire
Mar 17 Iran launched Operation Fath with diversionary attack towards Hoveyzah and
Hamid across from Maysan Worked as Iraq sent reserves there
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Mar 19 Iraq launched pre-emptive attack in Rikabiya to try to stop Iranian offensive to break
Dezful siege in Khuzistan Failed Iraqis lost 10,000 dead 15,000 wounded 15,450 captured Iran lost 4,000 dead 8,000 wounded 6,000 captured Iran recaptured 940 sq mi of Iranian territory
Mar 19 Saddam sent envoy to Islamic mediation mission with cease-fire proposal and
offered to withdraw from Iranian territory
Mar 20 Saddam ordered 3rd attack upon Bostan Khuzistan and failed again
Mar 21 Iran attacked Fakkeh Shush and Naderi Took Ein Kosh in central front 1st phase of Op
Fath 1st time Basij used with Revolutionary Guard in human wave attacks Largest Iranian op so far Destroyed 2 Iraqi divisions Largest defeat for Iran so far
(Musings On Iraq review Armies of the Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 1: The Battle for Khuzestan, September 1980-May 1982)
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
(Musings On Iraq interview with Naval Postgraduate School’s Ostovar on history of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard)
(Musings On Iraq review Vanguard of the Imam, Religion, Politics, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard)
Mar 23 Iran launched main attack in Op Fath to push towards Maysan Flanked 2 Iraqi
divisions Was largest military operation up to that time in war 100,000 Iranian and 70,000 Iraqi troops involved
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Mar 24 Saddam took control of central front to try to stop Iranian Op Fath attack upon Maysan
Mar 25 Iranian Op Fath broke through Iraqi lines in push towards Maysan Iraqi
counterattack failed
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Mar 25 Iraq asked US to stop Israel from sending weapons to Iran US Said it had no
say in matter
Mar 25 Reagan admin officials warned that if Iran beat Iraq in Iran-Iraq War would
endanger western interests
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
Mar 26 2 Iraqi divisions ordered to retreat to escape encirclement during Iranian Op Fath
push on Maysan Large tank battle in Chananeh End of day Iraqi 1st Mech Div destroyed
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Mar 27 3rd phase of Iranian Op Fath began to take Fakkeh strategic crossroads to Maysan
Saddam ordered 4th Corps to retreat from Shush in face of Iranian attack
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Mar 29 Iraq set up new defensive line 6 miles from Maysan border Iran attacked towards Fakkeh
breaking through Iraqi lines Broken up by air strikes Lost 100 tanks and forced to retreat Ended Iranian Op Fath Iraq lost 8000 dead 12000 wounded 13000-20000 captured 400 tanks 3 divisions destroyed Iran lost 4,000 dead, 12,000 wounded, 200 tanks and APCs
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Mar 29 Saddam offered to withdraw to international border between Iran-Iraq Was rejected by
Iran
Mar 30 Saddam admitted that Iraqi forces retreated from southern Iran
Apr 2 Deputy commander of Iran’s armed forces claimed end of Iran-Iraq War was near
Apr 8 Syria closed border to Iraq Claimed Saddam backed Muslim Brotherhood against
Assad
Apr 10 Syria closed Iraqi pipeline to Mediterranean to help Iran in war Cut Iraq oil
exports to just 600,000 bar/day Led Iraq to settle border disputes with Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia to build land routes for its oil
Apr 12 Iraq again offered to withdraw from Iranian territory if Iran agreed to end war
Rejected by Iran
Apr 27 French delegation returned to Iraq to help work on its Osirak nuclear reactor
they had left after Iranian bombing of reactor in 1980
Apr 29 Iran launched Op Bait al-Moqaddas in Ahvaz Khafajiya Taheri Aimed to liberate
Khorramshahr Iran used 12 divisions 200,000 soldiers vs 5 Iraqi divisions and 65,000 men Iran gained 300 sq mi Iranian paratroopers dropped on Karun River near Darkhovin while engineers built bridge over river
May 1 Iranian Op Bait al-Moqaddas Iranian Rev Guard attacked across Karun River Played
chants on loudspeakers to make it seem like larger force Caused Iraqis to flee Iran launched diversionary attacks on Fakkeh in central front and in Susangard in norther Khuzistan province
(Musings On Iraq interview with Naval Postgraduate School’s Ostovar on history of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard)
(Musings On Iraq review Vanguard of the Imam, Religion, Politics, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard)
May 3 Saddam ordered Algerian Foreign Minister’s plane shot down on trip to Iran during
ceasefire talks Saddam accused Algeria of siding with Iran during negotiations Iran and Iraq blamed each other for assassination allowing Baghdad to escape responsibility Led Algeria to drop out of talks
May 5 Iran attacked in Fakkeh central front Broke through Iraqi lines Iraqis broke and fled Iraq
forced to retreat from Qasr e-Shirin Sumar Mehran Reached Iraqi border Diversion from offensive in Basra
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
May 5 Iraq counterattacked in Ahvaz-Khorramshahr area Failed
May 7 Iran launched 2nd phase of Op Bait al-Moqaddas in Khuzistan province Attacked between
Susangard and Muran in north pushing Iraqis back to border Destroyed 1 Iraqi division
May 8 Iran announced it had reached pre-war border with Iraq
May 8 Saddam ordered retreating Iraqi forces to rally in Khorramshahr dubbing it a Stalingrad
May 9 Iran cut off 2 Iraqi divisions and regained 116 sq mi in Khuzistan province
May 11 Iranian Op Bait al-Moqaddas Took Husseiniya and pushed Iraqis to border in
Khuzistan province Saddam ordered retreat to Khorramshahr across from Basra
May 12 Iranian Op Bait al-Moqaddas Reached Khorrmashahr across from Basra Drove
Iraqi forces out of Susangerd area
May 13 Iranian Security Council asked Khomeini’s permission to enter Iraq but denied
May 19 Iranian Op Bait al-Moqaddas Began shelling Khorramshahr
May 20 Iranian Op Bait al-Moqaddas Entered Khorramshahr and destroyed bridge over
Shatt al-Arab waterway
May 21 Iranian Op Bait al-Moqaddas Broke through Iraqi defenses around Khorramshahr Iraqi
forces panicked and started to flee Only 40% made it back to Iraq Iran captured 12,000 prisoners 2000 prisoners summarily executed by Iran
May 23 Iraq counterattack west and north of Khorramshahr
May 23 Iraq invoked Arab League 1950 defense agreement to get military aid from
members to help in war Got nothing League divided over war
May 24 Iran’s Op Beit al-Moqaddas ended Took Khorramshahr Iraqi forces pushed back to
border in Khuzistan Regained 2,077 sq mi of Iranian territory Iraq lost 9,000 dead 15,000 wounded 19,000 prisoners Iran lost 12-15,000 dead 25,000 wounded Saddam had 20 senior officer relieved of command 10 executed
May 24 So far in war Iraq had lost 30,000 dead 35,000 prisoners 20% of its artillery 40%
of its planes 60% of its tanks Half its ground forces Iran has also recaptured 90% of the territory Iraq seized in 1980
May 24 Iraqi forces exhausted Lost all its major gains in Iran Saddam and leadership discussed how
to end war Decided to withdraw to Iraq-Iran border Go on defensive
May 24 Israeli press reported US sent arms to Egypt which were then sold to Iraq
May 27 Iranian Supreme Defense Council went to Ayatollah Khomeini and recommended Iran go
on the offensive and invade Iraq
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
May 28 Iran launched attacks on Qasr e-Shirin and Sumer in center across from Diyala but
failed
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
May 30 Protests and riots in Karbala Basra Nasiriyah Baghdad over battlefield losses
in Iran-Iraq War
Jun 2 Gulf Cooperation Council offered peace plan to end Iran-Iraq War Israeli
invasion of Lebanon ended plan
Jun 3 Iraqi intelligence made attempt on life of Israeli ambassador to England using Abu
Nidal’s terrorist group Was Evidence Iraq tried to provoke Israeli invasion of Lebanon via assassination to try to end Iran-Iraq War by uniting Middle Eastern countries including Iran vs Israel
Jun 4 Dep PM Aziz went to Moscow seeking military aid for Iran-Iraq War but was turned
down
Jun 6 After Israel invaded Lebanon Saddam offered ceasefire in Iran-Iraq War and for
Iraq to send troops to help Palestinians
Jun 9 Iraq’s Revolutionary Command Council offered ceasefire with Iran but was rejected
Jun 10 Saddam announced unilateral ceasefire due to Israeli invasion of Lebanon Said Iraq would
leave Iran Claimed Iraq achieved all its goals Rejected by Iran Demanded Saddam step down 100,000 Shiite exiles return to Iraq Saudis offered to pay $50 bil for reconstruction in Iran Tehran asked for $150 bil from Saudis
Jun 10 Iraqi 2nd Corps objected to withdrawal because defensive position along border worse than
where it was Saddam said decision had been made
Jun 10 Soviet Union renewed military supplies to Iraq which it had stopped when war
started
Jun 12 U.N. called for ceasefire in Iran-Iraq War
Jun 14 Iraq counterattacked in Khuzistan province Turned back Iranians who were heading for
Basra
Jun 20 Saddam ordered Iraqi troops to withdraw to border Ayatollah Khomeini said war
would end when Saddam was out
Jun 20 Ayatollah Khomeini agreed to Iran going on offensive and invading Iraq Said that heavy
Shiite casualties had to be avoided
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Jun 21 Ayatollah Khomeini announced Iran would go to Lebanon and Jerusalem through Iraq Talked
about a Shiite crescent spreading across Middle East
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Jun 22 Commander in chief of Iranian army said Iran-Iraq War would continue until
Saddam overthrown
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Jun 22 Saddam complained that Iran was defeated in 1980 but didn’t give up
Jun 24 9th Regional Baath Party Congress held in secret Saddam said party infiltrated by
enemies and suffered bad decisions to get rid of dissenters Health Min Hussein who said Saddam might step down was executed Saddam changed party leadership to ensure his control
Jun 27 9th Regional Baath Party Congress concluded Saddam re-elected secretary general 7
members of Baath Party Regional Command replaced
Jun 27 CIA’s Jordan Station Chief Tweteen went to Baghdad to ask Iraq if it would accept US intel
on Iran to help in war Tweteen met with Iraqi colonel from General Military Intel who said Iraq would accept US intel CIA team flew from Jordan to Baghdad with maps of Iranian troop placements
Jun 28 Saddam dismissed all the members of the Revolutionary Command Council
Jun 28 Mukhabarat head Barzan Saddam’s half brother objected to Iraq working with CIA Demanded
to meet with CIA Jordan Station Chief Tweteen who was in Baghdad and offered US help
Jun 29 Iraq claimed it had withdrawn all its troops from Iranian territory Iraq still held border areas
between Qasr e-Shriin and Fakkeh in center across from Diyala and Maysan
Jul 8 Saddam survived assassination attempt in Dujail Saddam ordered town destroyed 1500
residents arrested 150 executed
Jul 9 Pres Rafsanjani said Iran would accept peace if 1975 border treaty retained
$100 bil in reparations paid by Iraq and Saddam tried as war criminal
Jul 12 UN Res 514 called for end to war Iraq accepted it Khomeini rejected it and called
on Iraqis to rise up against Saddam
Jul 12 Natl Sec Adv Clark held meeting on Iran-Iraq War DIA believed Iran would take Basra
because Iraqi defense bad Had forces in front of rivers and natural barriers instead of behind them Nearest reserve 4 days away
Jul 13 Iranian Op Ramadan invaded Iraq for 1st time Advanced 10 miles across Shatt al-Arab into
Basra Consisted of 5 human wave attacks by Iranian Revolutionary Guard with 100,000 troops against Iraqi lines
(Musings On Iraq review Armies of the Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)
(Musings On Iraq interview with Naval Postgraduate School’s Ostovar on history of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard)
(Musings On Iraq review Vanguard of the Imam, Religion, Politics, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard)
Jul 13 Iraq used tear gas to turn back Iranian attacks
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Jul 14 Iraqi 3rd Corps counterattacked began against Iran Op Ramadan in Basra Used tear gas
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Jul 15 Iraqi counterattack against Iran’s Op Ramadan in Basra regained most lost territory
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Jul 16 Iranian Op Ramadan Iran attacked 2nd time into Basra towards Qurna hoping to cut
Basra-Baghdad highway and isolate Basra city
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Jul 17 Iranian Op Ramadan invasion into Basra Iranian armor bogged down in marsh Iraq
counterattacked and forced Iranian retreat
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Jul 17 Saddam ordered capture of Qasr e-Shirin in center across from Diyala on anniversary of
Baath coup Iraqis attacked twice but failed Jordan ended up sending troops to support Iraqis
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jul 21 Iran made 3rd attack as part of Op Ramadan in Basra Were stopped 10km into Iraq Iraqis
counter attacked and drove Iranians back
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Jul 23 Iran Op Ramadan made 4th attack into Basra Iraq counterattacked pushing Iranians back
again
Jul 27 US official sent to Baghdad to share CIA satellite imagery of Iranian troop movements
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
Jul 28 Iran made 5th attack in Basra as part of Op Ramadan but failed
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Jul 28 During Iranian Op Ramadan Ayatollah Baqir al-Hakim crossed into Iraq from Iran
Called for uprising vs Saddam
(Musings On Iraq history of Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq)
Jul 29 Iraq counterattacked Regained some lost territory in Basra
Jul 30 Iraq launched major counterattack against Iran’s Op Ramadan in Basra Halted by Iranians
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Jul 31 Iraq claimed it crushed Iranian Op Ramadan to seize Basra Retook most lost territory
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Aug 1 Iran made final attack in Basra as part of Op Ramadan Failed
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Aug 1 Dawa bombed Planning Ministry in Baghdad
(Musings On Iraq Interview with Lowy Institution’s Shanahan on history of the Dawa Party)
(Musings On Iraq review The Shi’ite Movement in Iraq)
Aug 3 Iran called off Op Ramadan invasion of Basra At its peak Iran seized 300 sq km of Iraqi
territory By end only held 80 sq km US est Iran lost 14,000 casualties Iraq lost 8700 casualties and 1700 prisoners
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Aug 6 Iran began new operation in Qasr-e Shirin by Diyala to encircle Basra Failed
Aug 12 In response to Iran’s failed attack upon Basra Saddam declared 50 sq mi exclusion
zone around Kharg Island Iran’s major oil port Saddam hoping attacks on oil tankers would put pressure on Iran to negotiate Iran replied by setting up its own exclusion zone 60 mi along its entire coast
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Aug 15 Iraqi planes started attacking shipping at Khor Musa channel leading to Bandar
Khomeini port in Iran Sank 2 ships
Aug 15 Iraqi planes started bombing campaign against Kharg Island Iran’s major oil port
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Aug 18 Iraq fired 27 SCUD missiles at Kharg Island Iran’s major oil port with little to no effect
Sep 8 Saddam speech about Iraq and Yemen uniting Said they should remain separate countries
Said uniting all Arab states was a dream
Sep 11 Iraq agreed to Arab League ceasefire proposal including withdrawing from
Iran and $70 bil in reparations Iran said no
Sep 30 Iranian Op Muslim ibn Aqil Attacked between Qasr e-Shirin and Sumer in center Goal was
to invade Diyala take Baquba and threaten Baghdad 60,000 Iranians vs 36,000 Iraqis Only advanced 6 mi before counterattacked by Iraq forced withdrawal
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Oct 1 Iran attacked again in Op Muslim ibn Aqil in central front and broke through Iraqi lines Iraq
counterattacked and drove them back once again
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Oct 2 2nd attack in Iranian Op Muslim ibn Aqil between Qasr e-Shirin and Sumer to threaten
Baghdad Iraq used tear gas 1st time to try to turn back Iranian human wave attacks Saddam went to front to urge on troops because Iranian attack could threaten Baghdad
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
(Musings On Iraq review Armies of the Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Oct 3 3rd attack in Iranian Op Muslim ibn Aqil in Mandali Diyala Was to threaten Baghdad
Oct 3 Sudan said it would send troops to help Iraq in Iran-Iraq War
Oct 4 Secretary of State Shultz and Soviet Foreign Minister Gromyko met and agreed
Iran-Iraq War should end as soon as possible
Oct 4 UN Res 522 called for ceasefire Iraq accepted Iran rejected
Oct 5 Iranians regrouped during Op Muslim ibn Aql Attacked 5th time Broke through Iraqi lines and
reached Mandali Diyala
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Oct 6 Iranians withdrew outside Mandali Diyala Ended Op Muslim ibn Aqil Iran lost
6,000 dead 15,000 wounded Iraq lost 2,000 dead Iran only gained 1.8 mil strip of Iraqi territory in Diyala
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Oct 10 Iran made 2nd attack on Diyala Entered Mandali but forced out Aim was reaching
Baghdad Iran recaptured 80 sq mi of Iranian territory
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Oct 14 Iraqi air force ended two month bombing campaign against Kharg Island Iran’s major oil port
with little to show for it
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Oct 27 Saddam ordered increased attacks upon Iranian cities 3 SCUD missiles fired at Dezful
Oct 31 Iran launched Muharram al-Haram attacking Diyala and Maysan Took Back 120 sq mi of
Iranian territory 330 sq mi of Iraqi land Iraq called up its military reserves
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Nov 1 Iranian Op Holy Muharram attacked Maysan Changed target from threatening Baghdad back
to Basra Changed tactics from human wave attacks to infiltration Iranian Rev Guard division and extra battalions snuck through Iraqi lines at border
(Musings On Iraq interview with Naval Postgraduate School’s Ostovar on history of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard)
(Musings On Iraq review Vanguard of the Imam, Religion, Politics, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard)
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
(Musings On Iraq review Armies of the Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)
Nov 2 Iraq counterattack to stop Iranian offensive in Maysan failed
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Nov 4 2nd attack in Iranian Op Holy Muharram in Maysan
Nov 6 3rd attack in Iranian Op Muharram in Maysan Seized several border crossings Abu Shirib and
Bayat oil fields Iraq counterattack failed Rain ended Iranian attack
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Nov 8 4th attack in Iranian Op Muharram in Maysan
Nov 9 Saddam called for referendum in Iraq and Iran to see who was more popular he or Khomeini
Nov 10 Saddam said Iran wanted to rule Iraq not just get rid of him
Nov 10 Iraq counterattacked Iran Op Muslim ibn Aqil in Diyala
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Nov 11 Iran ended Op Muharram after failing to gain much territory in Maysan and Diyala Iran lost
4000 dead Iraq 3000 dead and 3500 taken prisoner
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Nov 13 Saddam ran informal referendum backed by pro-Saddam marches
Nov 15 Iran launched 6th attack in Op Muslim ibn Aqil in Mandali Diyala 5th attack in Op
Muharram in Maysan
Nov 17 Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim announced Supreme Assembly of the Islamic
Revolution in Iraq formed in Iran
(Musings On Iraq history of Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq)
Nov 20 Dep PM Aziz accused US and Soviet Union of allowing weapons to be sent to Iran
Nov 20 Iraq launched successful counterattack to push back Iranians in Maysan
Nov 21 Iraqi navy fired 5 missiles at tankers going to Iran
Nov 23 Iraq launched 2nd counterattack in Maysan
Nov 25 Iran launched 6th attack in Op Muharram in Maysan Iran lost 4,000 dead Iraq lost 3,000
dead 3,500 prisoners
1983
Jan 4 Dep PM Aziz went to Paris to renegotiate $5 bil debt Said wanted to buy 20 Super Etendard
jets and Exocet missiles Dassault pressured Pres Mitterand to rent the Etendards to Iraq Iraq also made deal to buy 24 Mirage fighters to be built in 2 years
Jan 13 Report China was supplying both Iraq and Iran with weapons during war
Jan 15 Saddam went to Riyadh and got approval for oil pipeline through Saudi Arabia
Was meant to diversify export routes while Persian Gulf threatened during war
Jan 27 Saddam rejected offer by Iran to discuss 7 disputed areas but said was ready to talk
about ceasefire in war
Jan 31 Iran officially rejected ceasefire talks by Iraq Khomeini was open to talks but
Rafsanjani and Khamenei rejected offer
Feb 6 Iranian Op Fajr al-Nasr began Attacked Fakkeh area heading for Maysan in central front with
300,000 troops Iraq detected op before it started
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Feb 7 Iranian Op Fajr al-Nasr Got aimed at Maysan Got to outskirts of Fakkeh but forced to
withdraw
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Feb 9 2nd attack in Iranian Op Fajr al-Nasr aimed at Maysan
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Feb 10 Iraq counterattack vs Iranian Op Fajr al-Nasr surrounded Iranian division and destroyed it
Feb 11 Iranian Op Fajr al-Nasr officially ended Regained 100 sq mi of Iranian territory
Iran 5000 dead 12000 wounded 1000 captured Iraq lost 2000 dead
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Feb 14 Secretary of State Shultz met with Iraq’s Foreign Minister Hammadi who asked
for expanded trade deals
Feb 26 Iran’s Op Fajr al-Nasr in Maysan to seize Basra-Baghdad road ended with only marginal
gains
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Mar 1 Iraq attacked Iran’s Nowruz oilfield along Persian Gulf
Mar 3 Iraq claimed it destroyed several Iranian oil rigs and 5 Iranian ships in Persian Gulf
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Mar 5 Soviet Foreign Minister Gromyko met with Iraqi and Iranian delegations to try to
mediate end to Iran-Iraq War
Mar 14 Secretary of State Shultz ordered US diplomat in Baghdad to discuss US
financing of trade deals with Iraq
(Musings On Iraq review Spider’s Web, The secret history of how the White House illegally armed Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
Mar 20 Saddam executed 6 members of the Hakim family including 3 brothers of
Ayatollah Hakim
Mar 22 Helicopter crash revealed Italy providing advanced electronic equipment to Iraq
Apr 4 Iraq offered 1 day ceasefire in order to clean up oil spill Iran rejected offer
Apr 8 Dawa bombed offices of Iraqi Airways in Baghdad
(Musings On Iraq Interview with Lowy Institution’s Shanahan on history of the Dawa Party)
(Musings On Iraq review The Shi’ite Movement in Iraq)
Apr 10 Iran launched Op Wa al-Fajr 1 3rd offensive aimed at Maysan Attacked Fekkeh and Ain al-
Qaws with goal of cutting Baghdad-Basra highway Used human waves Seized 69 sq mi of Iranian territory
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
(Musings On Iraq review Armies of the Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)
Apr 11 Iraq counterattacked Iranian Op Wa al-Fajr 1 in central front retaking half of lost territory
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Apr 14 Iraq claimed it repulsed Iran’s Op Wa al-Fajr 1 after counterattack
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Apr 14 Iraqi High Command warned Iran that had new modern weapons and would use
them for first time in war Meant new WMD capabilities
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Apr 17 Iran’s Op Wa al-Fajr 1 to cut Basra-Baghdad road in Maysan failed Iran lost 15,000
casualties Iraq lost 6,000-8,000
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Apr 17 Saddam invited Ayatollah Khomeini to Baghdad for Islamic conference to try to
End war
Apr 19 Baath meeting in Amara over army desertions in southern Iraq Came up with
military operation to arrest them
(Musings On Iraq review Iraq in Wartime, Soldiering, Martyrdom, and Remembrance)
Apr 20 Iraq-Turkey security deal allowed each country to carry out cross border raids into each
others’ territory against Kurdish rebels
(Musings On Iraq review of The Kurds, A Modern History)
(Musings On Iraq review Turkey, the US and Iraq)
May 1 Iraqi navy attacked Iran’s Nowruz oil rig in northern Gulf to little to no effect Iraq lost one
ship and called off all attacks in the area on Iranian infrastructure as a result
May 2 Iran and Iraq exchanged 55 prisoners of war in Turkey
May 3 Iraqi Op Salam launched in southern Iraq to capture and kill army deserters
(Musings On Iraq review Iraq in Wartime, Soldiering, Martyrdom, and Remembrance)
May 10 Sec of State Shultz met with Iraq’s Foreign Min Aziz in Paris to talk about improving relations
Part of Reagan admin’s tilt towards Iraq during Iran-Iraq War
May 13 Dep PM Aziz went to Paris to ask for new arms deal with France
May 25 Turkey launched first cross border raid under Iraq-Turkey security agreement 7,000
Turkish troops moved 18 mi into Kurdistan to attack PKK bases
(Musings On Iraq review of The Kurds, A Modern History)
(Musings On Iraq review Turkey, the US and Iraq)
May 25 Iraq offered to end bombing of civilians
May 26 French Pres Mitterand agreed to rent 6 Super Etendard jets to Iraq for 2 years Iraqi
pilots went to France for training
May 29 Tariq Aziz tried to open talks with Iran to stop bombing civilians area via UN Iran
rejected offer
Jun 7 Saddam offered 1 month ceasefire for Ramadan Rejected by Iran
Jun 22 Iraqi govt ordered all Kurds born from 1963-64 to be drafted into army
Jun 27 France agreed to lend Iraq 5 Super Etendard fighter bombers that Baghdad
wanted to use to attack shipping heading towards Iran
Jul 2 Iran began Op Wa al-Fajr 2 towards Rawanduz Valley in Irbil KDP Dawa
Badr Brigade took part Goal was to seize Haj Omran which was KDPI HQ
(Musings On Iraq Interview with Lowy Institution’s Shanahan on history of the Dawa Party)
(Musings On Iraq review The Shi’ite Movement in Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq Badr Organization A View Into Iraq’s Violent Past And Present)
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jul 5 Tariq Aziz returned from trip to Egypt to improve relations and ensure Cairo would
continue to supply Iraq with ammunition for the war
Jul 12 Reagan signed NSDD 99 to review US policy in Middle East Led to tilt towards
Iraq
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
Jul 19 After repeated defeats in southern and central fronts Iran shifted to Kurdistan believing Iraqi
units weaker there Started with attack on Haj Umran in Irbil
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jul 22 Iran’s Op Wa al-Fajr 2 took Piranshahr pass Attacked Haj Omran KDPI HQ and Rayat
Mount Kerman Advanced 10 mi into Iraqi Kurdistan
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jul 24 Saddam and Adnan Khairallah went to Kurdistan Khairallah took control of
defenses
Jul 26 Iran Op Wa al-Fajr 2 captured Haj Omran pass and Mount Kerde Mand in Iraqi Kurdistan
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jul 27 Iraq announced it would increase attacks on Iran’s oil facilities
Jul 27 Iraqi forces regained control of Rayat and Mount Kerman from Iranians in Kurdistan
Iran turned over Haj Omran to ISCI
Jul 28 Iraq counterattack against Iran Op Wa al-Fajr 2 with heliborne assault that recaptured Mount
Kerde Mand in Iraqi Kurdistan
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jul 30 Iran ended Op Wa al-Fajr 2 in Kurdistan Retook 195 sq km of Iranian territory Seized 220 sq
km of Iraqi land Cut KDPI supply lines and forced it to withdraw west KDP given control of Haj Omran pass
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jul 30 Iran started Op Wa al-Fajr 3 to free Mehran Iran central front and then invade Wasit and cut
Baghdad-Basra highway Iraq discovered plan and launched pre-emptive strike Iran launched night attack infiltrating behind Iraqi lines
Jul 30 Iraqi army began raids through villages and displaced camps in Irbil arrested all Kurdish
males
Jul 31 Iraqi army took 8,000 men from Barzani clan and executed them Retaliation for KDP
taking part in recent Iranian offensive in Kurdistan
Aug 2 Iraqi forces retreated 15 mi south of Mehran Iran central front back to Iraqi border Iraq
launched counterattack stopping Iranian Op Wa al-Fajr 3 Iranian forces dug in around Mehran
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Aug 5 Iran launched 2nd attack in Op Wa al-Fajr 3 in Mehran aimed at Diyala Broke Iraqi lines and
surrounded a brigade Iraq counterattacked
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Aug 6 Iranian forces attacked hills around Mehran Iran central front during Op Wa al-Fajr 3 Iraq
launched offensive to capture Mehran
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Aug 9 Iran’s Op Wa al-Fajr 3 took hills around Mehran central front but failed to recapture city Iran
took 60 sq mi half in Wasit Iraq lost 10,000-17,000 casualties Iran lost 15,000-25,000 casualties
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Aug 9 Iraq ended its operation to try to capture Mehran Iran
Aug 25 Turkey conducted 2nd raid into Iraqi Kurdistan attacking PKK and KDP bases under Iraq-
Turkey security agreement
(Musings On Iraq review of The Kurds, A Modern History)
(Musings On Iraq review Turkey, the US and Iraq)
Sep 7 US-Iraq began high level diplomatic talks to restore full relations Iraq asked US
for help to end Iran-Iraq War
(Musings On Iraq review The Saddam Tapes)
Sep 19 Iran said if major powers kept backing Iraq they would have oil cut off to them
Sep 20 Iran threatened to close Persian Gulf if West and Gulf States continued to aid
Iraq
Oct 1 After international pressure France said it would delay shipping 5 Super Etendard
fighter bombers to Iraq but went ahead secretly
Oct 7 US report Iran turning tide in Iran-Iraq War and US already starting to tilt towards
Iraq
(Musings On Iraq review The Saddam Tapes)
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
Oct 7 France secretly flew 6 Super Etendard jets to Iraq Iran threatened France about the
planes
Oct 19 Iranian Op Wa al-Fajr 4 began to take Penjwin Valley in Sulaymaniya from KDPI and cut its
supply line to Iraq 2nd op in Kurdistan KDP helped Iran
(Musings On Iraq Pres Bakr, Saddam, And Iraq’s Kurds Before The Anfal Campaign)
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Oct 20 Iranian Op Wa al-Fajr 4 seized 15 villages in Sulaymaniya
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Oct 21 Iran expanded Op Wa al-Fajr in Sulaymaniya with 2nd front
Oct 22 Iranian Op Wa al-Farj 4 reached Penjwin Sulaymaniya Iraqi counterattack pushed Iranians
back
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Oct 25 Iran renewed attacks in Op Wa al-Farj 4 in Sulaymaniya Claimed Iraqi troops destroyed
Kurdish town of Penjwin
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Oct 29 Iraq abandoned Penjwin Sulaymaniya but prevented Iranians from taking it during Op Wa al-
Farj 4
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Nov 1 Sec of State Schultz told Iraq using chemical weapons almost every day in Iran-Iraq War
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Nov 2 Iraq warned merchants ships to avoid northern end of Persian Gulf due to war
Nov 2 Iran launched 3rd attack in Op Wa al-Farj 4 in Penjwin Sulaymaniya
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Nov 3 Iran made first accusation to UN that Iraq used chemical weapons in war
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Nov 4 US intel report Iraq used chemical weapons against Iran
Nov 6 Iranian Op Wa al-Farj 4 Seized Penjwin Sulaymaniya KDPI HQ MOved towards Sulaymaniya
city Stopped by Iraqi counterattack using mustard gas
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Nov 21 Iran’s Op Wa al-Fajr 4 ended Took 180 sq mi of land in Iranian and Iraqi Kurdistan
Iran lost 5000 dead 15,000 wounded Iraq lost 2800 dead
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Nov 23 Iraq sank Greek cargo ship at Iranian port of Bushehr
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Nov 26 Pres Reagan signed NSDD114 saying US would back Iraq in Iran-Iraq
War to prevent it from losing
(Musings On Iraq review The Saddam Tapes)
(Musings On Iraq review Spider’s Web, The secret history of how the White House illegally armed Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
Nov 27 Truck bomb hit Baghdad killing around 100 Iraq blamed Iran and said it would retaliate
Dec 10 PUK made deal with Iraqi govt not to attack Iraqi forces and fight Iran in return for being
left alone 3,000 PUK Peshmerga quit and joined KDP out of protest
Dec 12 Dawa members including Abu Muhandis working for Iran set off 5 bombs at US and French
embassies and other targets in Kuwait killing 6 wounding 80 Was retaliation for US and French air attacks in Lebanon
(Musings On Iraq Interview with Lowy Institution’s Shanahan on history of the Dawa Party)
(Musings On Iraq review The Shi’ite Movement in Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq review Transnational Shia Politics, Religious and Political Networks in the Gulf)
Dec 12 Iraq fired missiles at 6 Iranian cities killing 24 and wounding 283
Dec 14 State Dept memo said that major setback for Iraq in war would be strategic defeat for West
Dec 17 Reagan sent Special Envoy to Middle East Rumsfeld to meet with Saddam and offer US
help during Iran-Iraq War
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
Dec 19 Reagan Special Envoy to Middle East Rumsfeld arrived in Baghdad to try to improve US-
Iraq relations Met with Dep PM Aziz who said US had to stop allies form selling weapons to Iran Provided list of countries that were doing so Reagan admin also hoped opening to Iraq would pressure Syria to withdraw from Lebanon
(Musings On Iraq review The Saddam Tapes)
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
Dec 20 Reagan envoy to Middle East Rumsfeld met with Saddam as part of new US policy to back
Iraq in war Saddam said he had saved US and its weak Arab allies from Iran Saddam urged US to stop its allies from selling weapons to Iran Rumsfeld said US and Iraqi interests were similar in MidEast
(Musings On Iraq review The Saddam Tapes)
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
Dec 20 Rumsfeld told Reagan admin meetings in Iraq were milestone for US-Iraq relations and would
benefit US in MidEast
Dec 23 Jordan gave Iraq $125 mil line of credit to help Baghdad in war
1984
Jan 1 Report US told Persian Gulf allies that it supported Iraq in Iran-Iraq War
(Musings On Iraq review The Saddam Tapes)
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
Jan 3 Formal ceasefire formed between Iraqi govt and PUK PUK agreed to fight Iran in return for
being left alone Only lasted 1 year
Jan 10 Iraq announced plan to build oil pipeline to Jordan’s Aqaba to secure new outlet for oil
exports during Iran-Iraq War
Jan 30 State Dept memo said that US considered stopping discouraging military exports to Iraq
Feb 1 Iraq said it was going to hit 11 Iranian cities near border in retaliation for Iranian shelling of
border cities Iran threatened more artillery attacks
Feb 11 Iran Op Tahrir al-Quds in Darbandikhan Sulaymaniya Backed by KDP Deception campaign
before main attack in Wasit Gained 9 miles in Halabja and 3 main passes
Feb 11 Iraqi air force bombed Dezful Bandar Khomeini port and other cities Iran retaliated by
shelling Iraqi border cities
Feb 12 1st War of Cities began Iraq fired SCUD missiles at Dezful killing 40 wounding 200
Iran retaliated by bombing Basra Faw Qurna Mandali Khanaqin in Basra and Diyala
Feb 14 Iran Op Kheibar began with diversionary attack northeast of Khorramshahr Iran southern
front
Feb 14 Iraq announced week long ceasefire hoping to end Iran-Iraq War Failed
Feb 15 Iraq, Egypt, Argentina and Swiss companies signed contract to develop long
range missile
Feb 15 Iranian Op Al Fajr 5 began Largest operation to date in war Included 2/3 of Iran’s
manpower 400,000 men in 15 division Attacked Wasit towards Kut Aim was to cut Baghdad-Basra road
Feb 16 Iran cut Basra-Baghdad highway between Maysan and Wasit
Feb 18 UN negotiated deal for Iran and Iraq to stop attacking civilian areas Didn’t last
Feb 21 Iranian Op Al Fajr 6 began in Maysan Aimed at taking Ali al-Gharbi Wanted to cut Baghdad-
Basra highway
Feb 21 Iraqi Gen Rashid said that every harmful insect had an insecticide that could annihilate it Said
Iraq possessed this kind of insecticide Warning that Iraq would use WMD vs Iran
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Feb 22 Iranian Op Kheibar began to capture Majnoon island in Basra Renewed attack in Op Al Fajr
6 in Maysan Iraq used mustard gas and tabun on Iranian attack
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Feb 22 Iraq’s attacks on Iranian cities stopped ending 1st War of the Cities
Feb 24 Iran ended Ops Fajr 5 and 6 attacking Wasit and Basra which were diversionary attacks from
main target Majnoon Islands
Feb 24 Iran broke through Iraqi defenses on Majnoon islands
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Feb 24 CIA memo to Dir Casey said Iraq would probably use nerve agents vs Iran
Feb 25 Iranian troops headed towards Shatt al-Arab in Basra Reached Fish Lake and
Majnoon Islands
Feb 25 Iraqis used mustard gas against Iranians to try to turn back Op Kheibar All Iraqi
reserves sent to area
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Feb 25 Iraq began offensive attacking Iran’s ports and oil facilities along with shipping in
Persian Gulf
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Feb 26 Iraq counterattack pushed back Iran’s Op Kheibar in Basra marshes
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Feb 27 Iran captured Majnoon Islands Iraqi counterattack began Iran built pontoon bridges from
Iran to Majnoon to supply 2 divisions defending area Was turning point in war
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Feb 27 Iraq bombed Iran’s main oil terminal Kharg Island Said it would continue to attack oil
industry until Iran agreed to end war Warned shipping companies northern Persian Gulf war zone
Feb 27 Iraq claimed it used leased French Super Etendard jets for 1st time attacking two Iranian
tankers Was propaganda and no attacks took place
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Feb 28 Iraqi counterattack against Iranian Op Kheibar retook Beida Iranian Revolutionary Guard
began retreating in disarray Iran lost 3,000 dead
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
(Musings On Iraq interview with Naval Postgraduate School’s Ostovar on history of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard)
(Musings On Iraq review Vanguard of the Imam, Religion, Politics, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard)
Feb 29 Iran reached outskirts of Qurna Basra Sent in all its reserves to hold captured area in Basra
Iraq counterattacked using chemical weapons
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Mar 1 Iraq counterattacked vs Iran’s Op Kheibar Same time Iranians attacked southward into
marshes
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Mar 1 France agreed to $500 mil loan to Baghdad that would pay for French contractors in Iraq
Mar 2 Iraqis used mustard gas against Iranians to try to turn them back in Basra marshes Was able
to gain bridgehead on South Majnoon island
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Mar 3 US stopped company from selling products to Iraq that could be used for chemical weapons
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Mar 4 US objected to Iraq’s use of WMD for 1st time in Iran-Iraq War Iraq denied it used any
Mar 4 Iraqi general quoted as saying that Iraq had right to use chemical weapons against Iran to
defend itself
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Mar 6 Iraq launched another counterattack to try to retake Majnoon Island from Iranians during Op
Kheibar Gained little
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Mar 7 Iraq again used mustard gas against Iranians to try to turn them back in Basra marshes
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Mar 8 UN sent team to Iraq to investigate Baghdad’s use of chemical weapons against Iran
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Mar 9 Using chemical weapons Iraq retook all areas in Basra from Iranians except Majnoon
Islands
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Mar 11 Report Iraq had 3 poison gas plants producing chemical weapons for Iran-Iraq War
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Mar 12 Iraq called off attacks into Basra marshes to try to recapture Majnoon Islands Iran lost
20,000 dead 30,000 wounded 1,000 captured Iraq lost 3,000 dead 9,000 wounded and 1/6 of its oil reserves
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Mar 13 UN team arrived in Iraq to investigate use of chemical weapons while Iran
made new claims its forces hit with mustard gas in Manjoon Islands Saw patients suffering from mustard gas Forensic tests on Iraqi bombs found mustard gas and tabun nerve gas
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Mar 13 CIA predicted Iraq would use mustard gas on large scale vs Iran by summer 1984
Mar 15 Tariq Aziz deputy Kittani went to US Met with Undersecretary of State Eagleburger Sec of
State Schultz joined meeting Said US criticism of WMD part of longstanding policy against it but shouldn’t be taken as anti-Iraqi
Mar 16 Iran fought off Iraqi effort to free Majnoon Islands
Mar 16 CIA Station Chief in Lebanon William Buckley kidnapped by Islamic Jihad-Hezbollah
and sent to Iran Was retaliation for US support for Iraq Would also help lead to Iran-Contra
(Musings On Iraq How US Tilt Towards Iraq In Iran-Iraq War Led To Iran-Contra Scandal)
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
Mar 17 Belgian labs confirmed mustard gas used by Iraq from samples taken from two
wounded Iranians Iraq used tabun against Iran for first time
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Mar 22 Soviet Union agreed to build a new nuclear power plant in Iraq to replace Osirak
facility destroyed by Israel in 1981
Mar 23 CIA confirmed Iraq used nerve agents against Iran
Mar 24 Iraq deployed French Super Etendard jets first time on raid on Iran’s Bushehr nuclear
power plant US provided satellite intelligence on facility before and after to assess raid Didn’t hit main target Was 1st of 6 attacks on facility lasting until 1988 Plant was unfinished and Iran was not working on it so wasted attack
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
Mar 26 US Special Envoy Rumsfeld arrived in Iraq for 2nd time Rumsfeld presented secret
proposal for Israeli aid against Iran Iraq rejected offer Also offered $2 bil in loan guarantees Agreed to restore diplomatic relations
(Musings On Iraq review The Saddam Tapes)
(Musings On Iraq review Spider’s Web, The secret history of how the White House illegally armed Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
Mar 27 Iraq used French Super Etendard jets for 1st time to attack Iranian shipping Hit a Greek ship
in Persian Gulf carrying Kuwaiti oil that was helping Iraq pay for the war
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Mar 29 US intel found Iraq buying equipment from West German company to make
chemical weapons Germany denied story
(Musings On Iraq When The World Remembered It Armed The New Hitler Saddam)
Mar 29 US intel reported Iraq had 5 sites producing chemical weapons
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Mar 30 UN condemned use of chemical weapons in Iran-Iraq War but didn’t mention
Iraq as perpetrator due to US and Soviet objections
Mar 30 US banned export of 5 chemicals to Iraq that could be used to make chemical
Weapons
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Apr 5 Reagan issued NSDD 139 that US would help Iraq in Iran-Iraq War
(Musings On Iraq review The Saddam Tapes)
(Musings On Iraq review Spider’s Web, The secret history of how the White House illegally armed Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
Apr 6 Iran and Iraq announced end of 4th round of war of cities
Apr 6 Report UK firms sold agents to Iraq to make mustard gas and sarin
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
Apr 15 State Dept said that Iraq stopped using chemical weapons in Iran-Iraq War after US warning
in 1983 but started again in Feb 1984
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Apr 18 Iraq escalated its attacks on tankers heading for Iran
Apr 26 Reagan special envoy to MidEast Rumsfeld visited Iraq 2nd time Instructed to downplay
criticism of Iraq’s WMD use Saddam refused to meet with him Rumsfeld met with Aziz instead
May 9 State Dept memo said that new pro-Iraq policy could lead to export of dual
use equipment for Baghdad’s nuclear program
May 13 Iran attacked Kuwait tanker carrying Iraqi oil in Persian Gulf Was retaliation
for Iraq attacks on Iranian oil industry Started tanker war
May 16 US offered to provide air cover to any Arab country’s oil tankers in Persian Gulf
to protect them from Iranian attack
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
May 20 Iraq sank Panamanian oil tanker in Persian Gulf in tanker war
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
May 22 Reagan briefed on study that said there should be a military embargo on both
Iran and Iraq Reagan agreed to policy
May 29 US backed UN resolution condemning Iranian attacks on Persian Gulf shipping
Didn’t mention Iraq’s attacks
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
May 31 Saddam threatened to destroy Iran’s main oil port at Kharg Island hoping it
would force Iran to negotiate end to war Iran didn’t reply
May 31 Iraq launched attacks upon Iran’s oil infrastructure
Jun 1 UN Security Council condemned Iran and Iraq attacking tankers in Persian Gulf
Jun 6 Iran launched heaviest bombardment so far of Basra city
Jun 7 Soviets delivered new missiles to Iraq which Baghdad said it would use against Iran’s oil
industry
Jun 7 Iran bombed Mandali Zubatiya Khanaqin in Diyala
Jun 11 2nd time UN got Iran and Iraq to agree to not attack each others’ cities Didn’t last
Jun 24 Iraq air raids resumed on Iranian oil infrastructure with attack on Kharg Island Iran’s
main oil terminal Destroyed docking bay but operating again in 5 days
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Jul 7 Iraqi govt uncovered plot to assassinate Saddam Executed some 50 army officers as a
result
Aug 8 Germany announced restrictions on sale of chemical manufacturing equipment
to Iraq after reports used to make WMD
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Aug 19 France agreed to refinance $1.4 bil in debts Iraq owed France biggest western
backer of Iraq
Aug 28 Senate Foreign Relations Committee report said US and Soviet Union both
backing Iraq in Iran-Iraq War
Aug 28 CIA report Iraq unlikely to lose war because of arms sales by France and USSR US cutting
arms sales to Iran Said military balance now in Iraq’s favor
Sep 27 Japan offered ceasefire proposal to UN to end Iran-Iraq War
Sep 30 Iran Op Val Fajr 7 attacked Meimak Heights central front to stop Iraqi shelling of area
Oct 8 Iraq broke 3 week ceasefire in Tanker War with attack upon ship leaving Iran’s
Kharg Island main oil facility
Oct 10 Tariq Aziz complained that Western Europe was still sending military equipment
to Iran despite US efforts to stop them
Oct 12 Saddam told Arabic newspaper he was ready to reestablish diplomatic relations with US
Oct 15 Iraq and Turkey made deal to fight PKK Allowed each country to enter 3 miles into others
territory to combat group
(Musings On Iraq review Turkey, the US and Iraq)
Oct 17 Iran launched new attack into Maysan
Oct 18 Iranian Op Al Fajr 7 began to recapture Mehran Iran central front Discovered by Iraqi
intelligence
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Oct 20 Iraq held elections to prove legitimacy of Saddam Was 40% quota for Shiite deputies
Oct 20 Iran launched 2nd attack into Maysan Iraqi counterattack pushed Iranians back
Oct 24 US Info Service reopened office in Baghdad Closed since 1958 in first step to reestablish
formal relations between US and Iraq
(Musings On Iraq review The Saddam Tapes)
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
Oct 25 Iranian troops recaptured Mehran, Iran central front ending Op Dawn 7
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Oct 26 Tariq Aziz told Sec of State Shultz Iraq ready to resume full diplomatic relations with Iraq
after 17 yr break
Oct 27 Iraq restored diplomatic relations with US which ended in Oct 1967
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
Nov 26 Foreign Min Aziz went to White House to meet Pres Reagan to talk about improving US-Iraq
relations
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
1985
Jan 27 Iraq launched 1st large offensive in 2 yrs to try to take back Majnoon Islands Deployed 2
corps Iraq gained bridgehead on island but Iranian reinforcements defeated operation Start of Iraqi attacks to try to take back initiative in war
Jan 28 Iran attacked Qasr e-Shirin central Iran across from Diyala attempting to take mountains
outside Sumer
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jan 28 Iraq attacked taking back most of South Majnoon Island from Iranians
Feb 1 Iranian counterattack pushed Iraqi forces out of mountains overlooking Sumer around Qasr
e-Shirin central Iran across from Diyala
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Feb 12 Iraq attacked Mehran Iran central front Entered 4 miles into Iran but operation failed
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Feb 13 Saddam offered amnesty to Kurds that fought against govt Rejected by KDP and PUK
(Musings On Iraq review of The Kurds, A Modern History)
(Musings On Iraq review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)
Feb 20 US and Soviet officials met to discuss ways to end Iran-Iraq War Nothing
came of it
Feb 23 Iraqi military intel warned Iranian offensive would happen in Basra’s Fish Lake Was wrong
Feb 25 Iraqi military intel warned Saddam Iranian offensive in Basra marshes imminent
Feb 28 Iraq launched attack into Basra province
Mar 1 Iraqi diplomat and son assassinated in Kuwait Iraq blamed SCIRI Iraq executed
10 Hakim family members in retaliation for assassination of its diplomat in Kuwait
Mar 5 Iraq bombed Ahvaz in Khuzistan province Started new war of cities
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Mar 5 Iraqi military intelligence warned 3rd and 4th Corps of impending Iranian offensive Attack
would come further south
Mar 11 Iran bombed Baghdad and 10 other Iraqi cities Started 2nd War of Cities
Mar 11 Iran started Op Badr trying again to cut Basra-Baghdad highway in Maysan Started with
diversionary attack then infiltration into Hoveyzah marshes Overran Iraqi 35th Division
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Mar 12 Iran Op Badr reached Tigris River and began building bridge across it then forced back
Reached Baghdad-Basra highway and took Qurna but then retaken by Iraqis 2 Revolutionary Guard divisions attacked from Majnoon Islands and forced Iraqis to retreat
(Musings On Iraq interview with Naval Postgraduate School’s Ostovar on history of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard)
(Musings On Iraq review Vanguard of the Imam, Religion, Politics, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard)
Mar 12 Iraq started using chemical weapons against Iran’s Op Badr over next 4 weeks
Iran claimed it suffered 4,600 casualties as a result
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Mar 13 Iraqi commandos airlifted into Hoveyzah marshes to try to cut off Iranian Op Badr
forces
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Mar 14 Iran fired SCUD missiles at Baghdad War of Cities 1st time Iran used long range
missiles Saddam ordered retaliation Baghdad would bomb Tehran for 4 weeks
Mar 15 Iraq carried out air raid on Tehran Iran fired SCUDs at Baghdad in War of Cities
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Mar 15 Iraq launched counterattack against Iran Op Badr Pushed Iranians back across Tigris
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Mar 16 Republican Guard joined counterattack against Iran Op Badr in south Iran threw in
reserves Iraq recaptured Ajrada Sabkha Beida 2,000 Iranians captured
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Mar 17 Iran captured section of Basra-Baghdad highway for first time
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Mar 18 Iran attacked South Majnoon Island but gained nothing Iraq counterattack regained most of
the territory lost in the Hoyezah marshes in Maysan
Mar 18 Iraq bombed Tehran in retaliation for Iran bombing Baghdad War of Cities
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Mar 18 Pres Mubarak visited Baghdad to show support Asked Gulf States to donate more
money to Iraq during Iran-Iraq War
Mar 20 Iran made 2nd attack upon South Majnoon Island Gained little
Mar 21 State Dept spokesman claimed US thought Iraq had defeated Iran and
said Tehran should accept negotiated settlement
Mar 22 Tehran Tabriz Shiraz and Isfahan bombed by Iraqi air force War of Cities
Mar 22 Iraqi counter attack forced Iranians back into Maysan-Basra marshes
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Mar 23 Iran ended Op Badr failed attempt to attack Basra city Iraq lost 20,000 casualties Iran 14,000 killed
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Mar 25 US intel reports Iraq used chemical weapons in fighting in southern Iraq
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Mar 26 Iraq threatened to spread war to all sections of Iran if it didn’t agree to a peace
settlement
Mar 31 Since Jan 1 in Tanker War Iraq hit 30 ships and Iran 7 in Persian Gulf
Mar 31 UN Sec Gen arrived in Iran Told Iraqi air raids killed 1450 civilians and wounded 4000
Apr 5 Iranian delegation to Soviet Union said that Tehran would only accept complete
Iraqi surrender to end Iran-Iraq War
Apr 6 UN Sec Gen deCuellar announced he would go to Baghdad and Tehran to try to
negotiate end to Iran-Iraq War
Apr 8 2nd War of the Cities ended
Apr 8 UN Sec Gen de Cuellar went to Baghdad where Saddam said Iraq was ready to
enter into talks to end war
Apr 9 UN Sec Gen deCuellar left Baghdad saying he had not been able to bridge divide
between Iraq and Iran
Apr 21 Saddam offered another ceasefire in war Iran continued to demand Saddam step
down and repatriation of Shiites back to Iraq
Apr 30 Secretary of State Shultz asked Defense Secretary Weinberger to speed up
approval of technology exports to Iraq
Apr 30 State Dept intel reported no evidence Iraq had started on a nuclear weapons
program It had
May 5 Iraq bombed Ahvaz and Bushahr starting 2nd War of the Cities Iran fired
missiles at Baghdad and shelled Iraqi border towns
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
May 7 Iraq shelled Kharmashahr
May 11 Iran launched attack into southern Iraq marshes to seize Basra-Baghdad highway
May 18 Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal went to Tehran Offered to end aid to Iraq if Iran
accepted ceasefire Also talked about how much Iran wanted in reparations if war ended Saudis delivered refined oil to Iran as sign of goodwill Rafsanjani suggested Gulf States help overthrow Saddam In return Iran would not export its revolution and end war Saudis passed along idea to US that rejected it
May 20 Iranian offensive into Iraqi southern marshes to seize Basra-Baghdad
highway ended in failure
May 20 Saudis offered peace deal while Prince Faisal visited Iran Rejected by Tehran
May 25 Dawa bombed motorcade of Emir Jaber Sabah ruler of Kuwait for his support of Iraq in
Iran-Iraq War Led to govt crackdown on Dawa
(Musings On Iraq review Transnational Shia Politics, Religious and Political Networks in the Gulf)
(Musings On Iraq Interview with Lowy Institution’s Shanahan on history of the Dawa Party)
(Musings On Iraq review The Shi’ite Movement in Iraq)
May 30 Iraq carried out heavy air raid on Iran oil terminal at Kharg Island
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Jun 4 Iraq carried out heavy air raid on Iran oil terminal at Kharg Island
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Jun 14 Iran Op Al Quds 1 in southern marshes of Maysan
Jun 14 Iraq halted air raids for 2 wks on Iran calling on Iranians to push Khomeini
towards peace
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Jun 15 From March to June 1985 43 Iraqi air raids on Tehran Only 12 Iranian SCUDs
hit Baghdad in response Iraqi raids did little damaged Failed to push Iran towards peace talks
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Jun 19 Iran attacked Qasr e-Shirin central Iran across form Diyala Diversionary attack
before Op Al Quds 2
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jun 20 Iran Op Fatah in Basra started
Jun 26 Iran Op Al Quds 2 started north of Majnoon Islands in Maysan Ended with nothing gained
Jul 1 Defense Dept official said that US should watch technology exports to Iraq
because they could be used for its nuclear weapons program
Jul 10 Iran Op Quds 3 started in southern marshes of Maysan
Jul 14 Iran Op Qadir overran Iraqi forces outside Penjwin Sulaymaniya and advanced 20 miles into
Iraq Attack into Halabja Sulaymaniya failed
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jul 15 Iran launched attack in Ras al-Abed-Sidikan sector of Kurdistan
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jul 24 Iran started Op Al Quds 4 in southern marshes of Maysan
Jul 25 Congress agreed to State Dept request to remove Iraq from list of states supporting
terrorism
Jul 25 Iran launched new attack in Ras al-Abed-Sidikan sector of Kurdistan
Jul 28 Iran launched 3rd attack in Ras al-Abed-Sidikan sector of Kurdistan
Aug 6 Iran started Op Al Quds 5 in southern marshes of Maysan
Aug 14 Iraq started air campaign against Kharg Island Iran’s main oil terminal Would last 4 months
Reduced capacity at facility by 1/3 forcing Iran to move most of its shipping south out of range of Iraqi jets
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Aug 15 Iran Op Ashura 2 started in Maysan marshes
Aug 16 Iran Op Ashura 3 started in Maysan marshes
Aug 16 Iraq claimed it destroyed Iran’s main oil terminal at Kharg Island but only
damaged it
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Sep 8 Iranians took Rayat Advanced towards Rawanduz in Irbil KDP
seized large amount of land
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Sep 11 Iran seized western Majnoon Islands Iraq counterattacked but failed
to dislodge Iranians Did stop advance
Sep 18 Iranian Op Al Quds 5 in Kurdistan ended with Iranian forces largely pushed back
after Iraqi counteroffensive
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Sep 27 At UN Iraq’s Foreign Minister Aziz blamed Iran for starting and continuing the
Iran-Iraq War Said Tehran wanted to overthrow the Iraqi govt
Oct 5 Iraq ended air strikes on Kharg Island Iran’s main oil terminal Hit 21 times but
no lasting damage
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Oct 23 Iranian op Ashura 4 started in Maysan marshes
Oct 24 Iraq-Saudi pipeline is opened to help Iraq finance Iran-Iraq War
Dec 5 Lebanon’s Al Safr paper published petition saying 500 Iraqi writer and intellectuals
had been interrogated and tortured to conform to govt
Dec 8 Saudis announced attempt to end the Iran-Iraq War through dialogue with Tehran
Dec 9 Saudis announced attempts at talks with Iran failed
Dec 16 Saddam visited Moscow Gorbachev said USSR couldn’t sell to Iraq on credit anymore
because of financial problems Also Moscow would not give Saddam full backing now that he had relations with US Said USSR would still sell weapons and promised 54 Su-25 planes and 300 SCUD missiles
1986
Jan 6 Iraq started op to try to retake Majnoon Island
Jan 23 Iraq carried out air raid on Kharg Island Iran’s main oil terminal
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Jan 25 Iran announced it was cutting oil production by half due to damage at Kharg Island export
facility after Iraqi air raids
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Feb 9 Iran Op Wa al-Fajr 8 Largest so far 50% of army 2/3 of Revolutionary Guard attacked Faw
Peninsula Basra Started with diversionary attack north of Basra At night Iranians crossed Shatt al-Arab in two places Landed south end of Faw
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
(Musings On Iraq interview with Naval Postgraduate School’s Ostovar on history of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard)
(Musings On Iraq review Vanguard of the Imam, Religion, Politics, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard)
Feb 11 Iraq counterattack vs Iran’s Op Wa al-Fajr 8 in Faw Peninsula pushed Iranians back
Feb 11 Iraq authorized use of chemical weapons to repel Iran’s Op Wa al-Fajr 8
Feb 11 Iraq blamed US for not providing intelligence on Iranian offensive
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Feb 12 Iraq counter attacked to retake Faw from Iranians Retook Um al-Rassas island Failed at
recapturing Faw
Feb 12 Saudi King Fahd called Saddam about Iran taking Faw Peninsula
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Feb 13 Iran in full control of Faw Peninsula Basra Lost 600 dead 2000 wounded Iraq 5000 dead and
wounded 1500 captured
Feb 13 Report around 2000 Iranian troops suffered mustard gas burns in Faw Peninsula from Iraqi
attacks
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Feb 14 Iraq counterattack to retake Faw Peninsula started
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Feb 16 Iraqi intelligence fell for Iranian deception and claimed attack upon Faw not main Iranian
attack Meant Iraq didn’t send reinforcements
Feb 16 Iraq made another attempt to retake Faw Peninsula Only advanced 2 km
Feb 16 Iraqis lost 7,000 casualties and 1,500 prisoners taken Iranians lost 8,000 casualties in Op Wa
al-Fajr 8 that took Faw Peninsula
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Feb 17 Iran started attack to gain more ground in Faw Peninsula
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Feb 18 Iraqi high command finally accepted Faw main goal of Iranian offensive after falling for
Tehran’s deception and believing it wasn’t
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Feb 19 Iraq counterattack to retake Faw Peninsula called off
Feb 19 US condemned Iraq’s use of chemical weapons against Iran in Faw Peninsula
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Feb 21 Iraq counterattack to retake Faw began on 3 fronts Iraq used poison gas but bad
weather dissipated effects
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Feb 23 Iraq’s southern front to retake Faw stopped by Iranian anti-tank missiles
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Feb 23 KDP launched preparatory attacks in Sulaymaniya to support Iranian offensive
starting next day in area
Feb 24 2nd Iraqi attempt to retake Faw failed 10,000 Iraqis and 30,000 Iranians killed
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Feb 24 Iran’s Wa al-Fajr 9 attacked Sulaymaniya to try to draw Iraqi forces away from
Faw Peninsula
Feb 24 UN Resolution 582 deplored use of chemical weapons in Iran-Iraq War but
didn’t say who was using them Also called for immediate ceasefire in war
Feb 28 Iran started 2nd attack in Op Wa al-Fajr 9 in Penjwin and Halabja Sulaymaniya Stopped by
Iraqi counterattack
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Mar 1 Iran started 3rd attack in Op Wa al-Fajr 9 Sulaymaniya
Mar 2 Iraq made another attempt to retake Faw Peninsula Failed
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Mar 8 Iraqi counterattacks ended Iran Op Wa al-Fajr 9 in Sulaymaniya
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Mar 9 Iraq made 3rd attempt to re-capture Faw Peninsula
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Mar 11 Iraqi Special Forces unit destroyed attempting to storm beaches on Faw Peninsula
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Mar 12 CIA said that Iraq facing worst situation since start of war after Iran captured Faw Peninsula
Warned that if Iran carried out more offensives could break the Iraqi army and Saddam could be deposed
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Mar 13 Iraqi counterattack to retake Faw stopped in middle of island Iraqis dug in Iran 10,000
dead 25,000 wounded Iraq 3,000 dead 9,000 wounded 1,500 captured Iran still in control of Faw
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Mar 14 UN mission found that Iraq had used chemical weapons several times in Iran-Iraq War
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Mar 20 US condemned Iraq at UN for violating international law by using chemical
weapons in Iran-Iraq War
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Mar 24 UN condemned Iraq’s use of chemical weapons in Iran-Iraq War
Mar 27 Iraq launched attack in Penjwin Sulaymaniya Pushed Iranians back to border
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Apr 2 Khomeini called for all able bodied men to join armed forces to overthrow Saddam
Apr 4 Iran’s Speaker Rafsanjani said Iran would take Basra and Baghdad after victory in Faw
Apr 9 Iraq made another attempt to re-capture Faw Peninsula
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Apr 10 Iraq counterattack to retake Faw failed Failure to retake Faw led leadership of Republican
Guard and regular military to confront Saddam telling him they could not take his political interference in war anymore Saddam agreed but didn’t
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 2: Iran Strikes back, June 1982-December 1986)
Apr 12 King Hussein attempted to reconcile Iraq and Syria Went to both countries Was
backed by Saudis
Apr 19 Iraq launched 1st of 2 attacks upon Faw-Um Qasr road in Basra Accused of using
chemical weapons
Apr 20 Iraq’s 1st attempt upon Faw-Um Qasr road failed Iran claimed it killed 1500 Iraqis
wounded 2600 Took 1000 Iraqi prisoners
Apr 23 Iran Op Al Fajr 9 in Kurdistan Overran Rawanduz Irbil Included KDP
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Apr 29 Iran launched counterattack along 3 fronts in Basra Advanced up road to Um
Qasr and north along Faw Peninsula Caused 4000 Iraqi casualties
Apr 29 Iraq launched counterattack to stop Iran Al Fajr 9 outside Rawanduz Irbil
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
May 12 US intel report Iraq was talking with China to build a covert nuclear power
plant
May 14 Iraq captured Mehran Iran central front 1st Iranian city seized since 1980 Offered to trade it
for Faw Peninsula Rejected by Iran Was Saddam’s idea of regaining initiative after loss of Faw but failed
May 15 KDP Peshmerga and Iranian paratroopers took Mangesh north of Mosul near
Kirkuk pipeline
May 16 Iraq launched operation to capture Mehran Iran
May 19 Iraq counterattack to retake Mangesh Repulsed by KDP 800 Iraqi prisoners taken
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
May 20 Iran ended Op Al Fajr 9 in Kurdistan
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
May 22 US Amb to Iraq asked Eximbank to open up new lines of credit to Iraq to help
it through Iran-Iraq War
(Musings On Iraq review The Saddam Tapes)
(Musings On Iraq review Spider’s Web, The secret history of how the White House illegally armed Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
May 26 Iran launched 2nd counterattack in Faw Peninsula
Jun 3 Iranian Rev Guard Cmdr Rezai said his forces didn’t need tanks or advanced planning
because his infantry could overwhelm the Iraqis and win the war
(Musings On Iraq interview with Naval Postgraduate School’s Ostovar on history of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard)
(Musings On Iraq review Vanguard of the Imam, Religion, Politics, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard)
Jun 16 Planning cell created in Baghdad to prepare for retaking Faw Peninsula from Iranians
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Jun 28 Iraqi planes attacked Sardasht, Iran using mustard gas 1st civilian town attacked by WMD
133 killed
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Jun 30 Iraq abandoned Mehran Iraq after took it in May Hoped to swap Mehran for Iraqi territory
Tehran said no
Jul 1 Iraq escalated air strikes on Iran’s economic infrastructure
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Jul 1 Iran Op Karbala 1 pushed Iraqi forces almost back to Iraqi border central front
Jul 3 Iranian forces recaptured Mehran Iran central front Iraq lost 1000 dead 1200 prisoners 3000
wounded Iran lost 3000 dead 9000 wounded Led to 2nd confrontation between Saddam and military leadership He finally agreed to stop interfering in war
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jul 4 Iraqis launched counter attack but failed to retake Mehran, Iran central front Iran’s Op Karbala
1 entered second phase to invade Iraq
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jul 15 UK Official told Geneva conference that Iraq chemical weapons had caused
10,000 Iranian casualties in Iran-Iraq War
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Jul 16 Saddam re-elected secretary general of Baath Party and president of Revolutionary
Command Council
Jul 23 Meeting of NSC Pentagon State CIA at White House to discuss Iraq policy Talked about
request from US Embassy in Baghdad about moving US weapons from Jordan to Iraq which would be against Arms Export Control Act Request turned down because would be illegal and would require notifying Congress Discussed situation in Iran-Iraq War Felt Iraq was being too conservative in response to Iranian offensive because wanted to save its air force
(Musings On Iraq review The Saddam Tapes)
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
Jul 24 Saddam said unwise to clash with rising Islamism in Arab World but Iraq should
be ready to strike against it if threatened
Jul 24 Saddam decided to reach out to Muslim Brotherhood in Sudan
Jul 31 Iraqi air force launched most devastating attack upon Kharg Island Iran’s major oil port
Knocked out its ability to load tankers Let Iranians off the hook by not attacking again
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Aug 2 Saddam offered peace agreement to Iran Was rejected by Tehran
Aug 4 VP Bush used Egyptian Pres Mubarak to pass message to Iraq that it should
expand air campaign against Iran
Aug 6 Iraq air strike hit 5 of Iran’s 11 tankers at Kharg Island Iran’s main oil terminal
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Aug 12 Iraqi jets flew 550 miles to attack 20 tankers at Sirri Island where Iran had
transferred loading oil due to Iraqi attacks upon Kharg Island main terminal 3 ships hit Iraq got air support from Kuwait and Saudis to reach island
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Aug 13 US State Department said Iraq was trying to negotiate peace but Iran-Iraq War
continuing because of Iran
Aug 15 Turkey launched raid into Kurdistan after PKK destroyed a Turkish military post in
Anatolia Turks killed 165 PKK
(Musings On Iraq review Turkey, the US and Iraq)
Aug 23 1000 Turkish soldiers invaded Kurdistan Captured 40 KDP Peshmerga
(Musings On Iraq review of The Kurds, A Modern History)
Aug 24 Ayatollah Khomeini said Iran had to fight until victory and Saddam deposed
Aug 30 Iran Op Karbala 3 attacked al-Amiq port in Basra Took partial control of facility
Aug 31 Iran started Op Karbala 2 in Haj Umran Advanced deep into Kurdistan in
retaliation for Iraq air attacks on oil facilities
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Aug 31 Document said chemical and biological agents were being distributed in Irbil to
be used against Kurds
Sep 1 Iran Op Karbala 3 Commandos seized Khor al-Amaya oil platform in Basra
Destroyed Iraqi radar installation on platform
Sep 2 Iraqi counterattack pushed Iranians out of Basra oil facilities
Sep 3 Iran started Op Karbala 3 attacking Faw Peninsula and Majnoon Island Built
bridge across Shatt al-Arab Didn’t gain much
Sep 3 Iraq recaptured Umaya oil platform in Basra
Sep 4 Iran launched 2nd attack upon al-Amiq oil terminal in Basra
Sep 5 Iraqi air force carried out 880 km raid on Lavan Island oil terminal hitting 1 tanker
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Sep 7 Iran Op Karbala 2 in Kurdistan ended
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Sep 16 Iraq air strike on Iran’s Lavan oil terminal
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Sep 16 Iranian attack on Mehran Iran sector turned back by Iraqis
Sep 23 Iran ended Op Karbala 3 in Faw Peninsula and Majnoon Island
Sep 23 Soviet Foreign Minister Shevardnadze told UN that USSR was attempting to
Negotiate end to Iran-Iraq War
Sep 29 Heavy Iraqi air strikes on Kharg Island Iran oil terminal
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Oct 6 Iraq air strike on Kharg Island Iran oil terminal Only did minimal damage
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Oct 8 UN Resolution 588 said Iran and Iraq should follow Resolution 582 to resolve
Iran-Iraq War Iran rejected 588 because didn’t blame Iraq for starting the war
Oct 10 Iran carried out commando raid on pipeline near Kirkuk
Oct 10 Iran Op Fatah 1 attacked Luka Dukhan electricity plant Kurdistan
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Oct 14 Iran attacked Qasr-e Shirin central front by Diyala
Oct 29 Iran Op Fatah 2 Iranian commandos and KDP attacked air defense radar in Irbil
Nov 13 Revolutionary Command Council meeting believed Israel was behind Reagan
selling weapons to Iran in Iran-Contra scandal
Nov 15 Saddam told aides US wanted to keep Iraq and Iran balanced Was reason why
US sold weapons to Iran in Iran-Contra scandal
Nov 21 Iran launched 3rd attack upon al-Amiq oil terminal in Basra
Nov 25 Iraq air strike on Larak Island oil facilities Longest air raid of war Used Saudi air base for
refueling Iran transferred loading tankers there after Kharg and Sirri Islands hit by Iraq Hit 5 tankers
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Nov 26 Attny Gen Meese admitted that US sold weapons to Iran and then funneled money to
Contras in Nicaragua Affirmed Saddam’s conspiracy theory that US aws helping Iran and Iraq during war
Dec 22 Iraqi intel reported Iranians preparing for major offensive in Basra Saddam ordered
bombing of assembly areas
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Dec 23 Iran Op Karbala 4 Crossed Shatt al-Arab to attack Fish Lake defensive line before Basra city
Iraq warned beforehand by intel
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Dec 25 Iraqi counterattack pushed Iranians back into Shatt al-Arab Ended Iran’s Op Karbala 4 Iran
lost 9,000-12,000 casualties vs 3,000 Iraqi casualties
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Dec 27 Iraq counterattack recaptured Um al-Rassas island in Basra Ended Iran Op Karbala 4
Iran lost 800 dead 200 prisoners Iraq lost 800 dead 2000 wounded
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
1987
Jan 3 Iraq counterattack east of Basra city turned back
Jan 6 Saddam called for ceasefire in Iran-Iraq War Rejected by Iran
Jan 8 Iranian cmdr said Op Karbala 5 needed to start immediately before Iraq discovered it
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Jan 9 Iran Op Karbala 5 began attacking Fish Lake defensive line before Basra City
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Jan 12 Iran launched 2nd attack in Op Karbala 5 in Fish Lake Basra
Jan 12 Iraq Def Min Khairallah authorized used of WMD to repel Iran Op Karbala 5 in Basra
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Jan 12 Saddam started 3rd War of the Cities in retaliation for Iran’s Op Karbala 5 Iraqi air force
stopped ground support ops in Basra and attacks upon Gulf shipping to focus upon Iranian cities
Jan 13 Iran started Op Karbala 6 in Qasr-e-Shirin central Iran to divert Iraqi forces from Basra
Goal was to seize Mandali Diyala Freed 100 sq mi of Iranian land
Jan 13 Iran Op Karbala 5 Used night attack to advance 2 miles towards Basra city Caused 1000
Iraqi casualties Iran accused Iraq of using poison gas to repulse attack Iranian casualties so high called for volunteers
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Jan 15 Iraq launched 5 counterattacks at Sumar Heights Basra but failed Suffered 1500 casualties
Jan 15 Saddam held meeting on Iran Op Karbala 5 Replaced commanders due to Iranian advances
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Jan 16 Iran seized Bovarian Island Basra and caused 3000 Iraqi casualties
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Jan 17 Iraq conducted missile and air strikes on Tehran and other major cities 3rd War of the
Cities
Jan 17 Iran attacked Diyala but repulsed Lost 2 brigades
Jan 18 Iran ended 1st phase Op Karbala 5 seized western bank of Shatt al-Arab Iraq suffered 17,500
casualties Iran 20-30,000
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Jan 19 Iran started phase II of Op Karbala 5 reaching Jasim River 6 miles from Basra City Caused
2000 Iraqi casualties Population of Basra started leaving
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Jan 21 Saddam sent letter to Iran Said he didn’t claim any Iranian territory and wanted peace deal
Asked Iranians to challenge Khomeini’s right to rule
Jan 21 Iran captured Duaija east of Basra city Iraq launched 2 counterattacks but repulsed
1500 Iraqi casualties
Jan 21 Iraq suffered 10,000 casualties in Basra during Iran Op Karbala 5 leading Saddam to call
for volunteers
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Jan 23 Ali Khamenei said Iran would not negotiate with Iraq as long as Saddam in power
Jan 25 3rd War of the Cities ended
Jan 26 Islamic Conference Organization invited Iran and Iraq to summit in Kuwait Iran
said no
Jan 26 UN Secretary General de Cuellar addressed Islamic Conference Organization
Said aggressor in Iran-Iraq War needed to be determined
Jan 27 Iran launched 4th attack in Op Karbala 5 in Basra
Jan 28 Iraq air strike on Larak Island for 2nd time was new Iranian loading port for
tankers farther south Thought to be out of range of Iraqi jets
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Jan 28 Iraqi counterattack pushed Iranians out of beachhead west of Fish Lake defensive line in
Basra during Iran Op Karbala 5
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Jan 29 Iran Op Karbala 5 crossed Jassim Canal in Basra with 3 days of human wave attacks
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
(Musings On Iraq review Armies of the Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988)
Jan 30 Iraqi counterattack pushed Iranians back to starting point of its Op Karbala 5 in Basra
Jan 31 Iran Op Karbala 5 made last attack upon Iraqi defensive lines in Basra and stopped
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Feb 1 Iran Op Karbala 5 broke through Iraq’s Jassim Canal defenses 7 miles away from Basra city
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Feb 2 Iran Op Karbala 5 withdrew from bridgehead on Iraqi Fish Lake defensive line in Basra
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Feb 3 Report US analysts said that Iraq would not be able to reverse recent Iranian gains
in southern Iraq
Feb 7 Iraqi counterattacks vs Iran Op Karbala 5 recaptured 20sqkm in Basra
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Feb 11 Ayatollah Khomeinei called war a holy crusade that had to end in victory Pres Khamenei
said that aim of war was to punish Iraq and overthrow Saddam
Feb 11 Iran started Op Fatah 4 attacking Rawanduz Irbil
(Musings On Iraq review The Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Feb 19 Iranian Rev Guard broke through Iraqi defenses Now 5 miles from Basra city
(Musings On Iraq interview with Naval Postgraduate School’s Ostovar on history of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard)
(Musings On Iraq review Vanguard of the Imam, Religion, Politics, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard)
Feb 19 NSC official said US attempting to assist Iraq in Iran-Iraq War without providing it with
arms
(Musings On Iraq review Spider’s Web, The secret history of how the White House illegally armed Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
Feb 22 Iran Op Karbala 5 launched last attack upon Iraqi defenses in Basra but stopped Caused
4,000 Iraqi casualties
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Feb 26 Iran officially ended Op Karbala 5 in Basra Suffered 52,000-62,000 casualties vs 40,000
Iraqis casualties
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Feb 28 Iran started 2nd attack in Op Karbala 5 in Basra Broke through Iraqi lines Iraq counterattacks
regained lost territory in 12 hrs
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Feb 28 Iraq ended 3rd War of Cities after Soviet appealed and new arms deal
Feb 28 During war of cities 1984-87 35 Iranian cities hit 3,000 dead 9,000 injured
Baghdad and Basra hit 300 dead 1,000 wounded
Feb 28 Ali Hassan al-Majid made governor of northern Iraq provinces and told to end
Kurdish insurgency Would start Anfal Campaign
(Musings On Iraq Pres Bakr, Saddam, And Iraq’s Kurds Before The Anfal Campaign)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Anfal Campaign And The Destruction Of The Kurdish Opposition)
(Musings On Iraq review of The Kurds, A Modern History)
(Musings On Iraq review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)
Feb 29 Iranian night attack captured areas east of Basra city Destroyed 4 Iraqi brigades
and 45 tanks
Mar 1 Iraq counterattack in Jasim River Basra to regain lost territory from Iran Op Karbala 5
Would eventually regain 1/3 of lost territory but with high casualties
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Mar 3 Iran launched 3rd attack in Op Karbala 5 in Basra Gained 3km
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Mar 3 Iran Op Karbala 7 in Haj Omran Kurdistan KDP took part Gained 10 miles heading towards
Rawanduz Irbil Turkey told Iran it would not allow it to take Kirkuk or Mosul Was diversionary attack from main operation in Basra
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Mar 3 Gulf Cooperation Council condemned Iran’s occupation of Faw Peninsula
Mar 4 Iran launched 4th attack in Op Karbala 5 in Basra
Mar 5 Saddam had meeting on war Decided to expand Republican Guard Expand tanker war Use
WMD more
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Mar 9 Iran were outside Rawanduz Irbil but ordered to stop due to threats by Turkey to not
advance anymore
Mar 11 Limited Iranian attack in Basra stopped by Iraqis
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Mar 18 Revolutionary Command Council made Ali Hassan al-Majid head of Baath Northern
Bureau covering Kurdistan
Mar 20 Saddam held march in Baghdad for not being defeated in Iran-Iraq War
Mar 28 Saddam was told 24,952 soldiers had deserted from 12/1/86-3/20/87 in Basra
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
(Musings On Iraq review Iraq in Wartime, Soldiering, Martyrdom, and Remembrance)
Mar 29 Ali Hassan al-Majid given special powers over all govt agencies in northern
Iraq to deal with Kurds
(Musings On Iraq Pres Bakr, Saddam, And Iraq’s Kurds Before The Anfal Campaign)
(Musings On Iraq review of The Kurds, A Modern History)
(Musings On Iraq review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)
Apr 6 Iran Op Karbala 8 started in Fish Lake Iraqi defensive line in front of Basra city Only
gained 1 mile caused 2600 Iraqi casualties
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Aug 8 Iran launched naval attack upon Iraqi oil terminals in Basra
Apr 9 Iran started Op Karbala 9 attacking Qasr e-Shirin central Iran to try to draw Iraqi forces
away from Basra but Iraq didn’t respond
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Apr 9 Iran broke through Iraqi defenses west of Fish Lake Basra Iraq counterattack failed Used
chemical weapons
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Apr 9 Dawa attacked Saddam’s motorcade outside of Mosul to commemorate
execution of Ayatollah Baqir al-Sadr
(Musings On Iraq Interview with Lowy Institution’s Shanahan on history of the Dawa Party)
(Musings On Iraq review The Shi’ite Movement in Iraq)
Apr 10 Iran deployed reinforcements in Op Karbala 8 in Basra to expand bridgehead at Fish Lake
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Apr 11 Iraq counterattack vs Iran’s Op Karbala 8 in Basra pushed Iranians back to starting point
Iraq had 2,000 casualties Iran 6,500 casualties
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Apr 12 Iraq used chemical weapons to turn back Iran’s Op Karbala 8 in Basra
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Apr 13 Iran and KDP captured strategic mountains near Sulaymaniya city
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Apr 13 Iraqi 5th Corps published plans for collectivization in Kurdistan Would force people into
govt run villages
(Musings On Iraq review of The Kurds, A Modern History)
(Musings On Iraq review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)
(Musings On Iraq review Iraq in Wartime, Soldiering, Martyrdom, and Remembrance)
Apr 14 Iran Op Fatah 5 Iranian Rev Guard and PUK attacked Iraqi 27th Div supply lines in
Kurdistan
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Apr 15 Iraq attacked KDP HQ in Zewa Shkan, Dohuk PUK HQs in Sergalou and
Bergalou, Sulaymaniya with chemical weapons WMD attacks were retaliation for KDP and PUK helping with Iranian offensives
(Musings On Iraq review of The Kurds, A Modern History)
(Musings On Iraq review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)
Apr 16 Iraqi planes dropped poison gas on Sheikh Wasan and Balisan villages killing
over 100 civilians
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Apr 20 Iraq agreed to allow UN team to visit and investigate its use of chemical weapons
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Apr 20 Iran Op Karbala 10 attacked Mawat to help KDP in Kurdistan
(Musings On Iraq review of Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Apr 21 Iraqi 5th Corps began 1st phase of collectivizing in Kurdistan Destroyed towns and forced
people into govt run villages 661 villages affected 200,000 displaced
(Musings On Iraq Pres Bakr, Saddam, And Iraq’s Kurds Before The Anfal Campaign)
(Musings On Iraq review Iraq in Wartime, Soldiering, Martyrdom, and Remembrance)
Apr 23 Iran launched 2nd naval attack upon Iraqi oil terminals in Basra
Apr 26 Jordan and Saudis arranged meeting between Saddam and Syria’s Assad to try to
Improve ties
Apr 27 Iran Op Karbala 10 took 2 towns and 100 sq mi in Sulaymaniya
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Apr 27 Syria agreed to stop backing Iraqi Kurds
Apr 29 UN team went to Iraq to investigate its claims Iran used chemical weapons Looked at patients
in Baghdad who’d been exposed to mustard gas Visited 5 sites in Basra Iraq said were hit by Iranian chemical weapons Said Iraq used chemical weapons 3 times in April 1987 Gave UN artillery shells which they claimed were captured Iranian munitions UN found no mustard gas or chemical resistant coating in shells Final report said no conclusive evidence Iran used chemical weapons
May 13 UN investigation said Iraq used chemical weapons against Iranian civilians
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
May 17 Iraqi fighter hit USS Stark with 2 missiles killing 37 US sailors
May 18 Iran launched 3rd naval attack upon Iraqi oil terminals in Basra
May 20 Iraq ended 1st phase of attacks upon Kurdish villages
(Musings On Iraq review of The Kurds, A Modern History)
(Musings On Iraq review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)
(Musings On Iraq review Iraq in Wartime, Soldiering, Martyrdom, and Remembrance)
May 21 2nd phase of govt collectivization program started to destroy Kurdish towns and force
people into govt run villages
(Musings On Iraq Pres Bakr, Saddam, And Iraq’s Kurds Before The Anfal Campaign)
(Musings On Iraq review of The Kurds, A Modern History)
(Musings On Iraq review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)
(Musings On Iraq review Iraq in Wartime, Soldiering, Martyrdom, and Remembrance)
May 29 Assistant Deputy Secretary of Defense Armitage said US couldn’t see Iraq
defeated in Iran-Iraq War
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
Jun 1 Iran captured Darbandi Khan Lake dam in Kurdistan
Jun 3 Ali Hassan al-Majid ordered 1,000 Kurdish villages be destroyed
(Musings On Iraq Pres Bakr, Saddam, And Iraq’s Kurds Before The Anfal Campaign)
(Musings On Iraq review of The Kurds, A Modern History)
(Musings On Iraq review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)
(Musings On Iraq review Iraq in Wartime, Soldiering, Martyrdom, and Remembrance)
Jun 17 Iran Op Fatah 7 Iranian Rev Guard and PUK attacked Iraqi 27th Div supply lines in
Kurdistan
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jun 17 Iran Op Nasr 3 started in Maysan
Jun 20 UN Res 598 called for new peace plan to end Iran-Iraq War Tehran did not reject idea for
first time
Jun 20 Iran Op Nasr 4 Took Mawat Kurdistan
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jun 20 Ali Hassan al-Majid issued order for random attacks on Kurdish areas to kill as
many people as possible Also said that any Kurd captured between 15-70 should be interrogated then executed
(Musings On Iraq Pres Bakr, Saddam, And Iraq’s Kurds Before The Anfal Campaign)
(Musings On Iraq review of The Kurds, A Modern History)
(Musings On Iraq review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)
(Musings On Iraq review Iraq in Wartime, Soldiering, Martyrdom, and Remembrance)
Jun 28 Iran accused Iraq of killing and wounding 650 Kurdish civilians in mustard gas attack in
northwest Iran
(Musings On Iraq review of The Kurds, A Modern History)
(Musings On Iraq review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)
Jul 7 UN Resolution 598 called for ceasefire in Iran-Iraq War
Jul 10 Iran attacked southern Majnoon Islands in Basra and took some territory
Jul 14 Saddam shuffled military leadership to get more offensive minded officers in command
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Jul 20 Iraq accepted UN Resolution 598 Iran didn’t reject it which was a first
Jul 23 Iraq Foreign Minister Aziz wrote UN saying Iraq welcomed ceasefire proposal UN
Resolution 598
Jul 27 US asked Iraq to stop attacks on shipping in Persian Gulf in hopes that Iran
would follow suit
Aug 2 Iraq bombed Oshnaviyah, Iran with mustard gas wounding 2,680 people
Aug 10 Iraq began bombing campaign against Iran’s Tabriz oil field Iran said it would
make Persian Gulf a killing field
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Aug 11 Iran told UN that Resolution 598 only included Iraq’s view of war
Aug 17 Iraq told UN it wouldn’t accept any changes to Resolution 598 that proposed
ceasefire in Iran-Iraq War
Aug 20 Dawa set off car bomb in Baghdad killing 20
(Musings On Iraq Interview with Lowy Institution’s Shanahan on history of the Dawa Party)
(Musings On Iraq review The Shi’ite Movement in Iraq)
Aug 26 Iraq demanded UN arms embargo on Iran for not accepting ceasefire deal and
threatened new air strikes
Aug 26 US signed 5 year trade agreement with Iraq mostly for farm products Some of the products
would be resold by Iraq to buy weapons Prices were also inflated so Iraqis could get kickbacks
(Musings On Iraq review The Saddam Tapes)
(Musings On Iraq review Spider’s Web, The secret history of how the White House illegally armed Iraq)
(Musings On Iraq Review The Twilight War, The Secret History Of America’s Thirty-Year Conflict With Iran)
Aug 29 Iraq attacked 2 Iranian merchant ships 40 ships hit by both Iran and Iraq in next
2 weeks
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Aug 30 Iraq air raid on Kharg Island Iraq’s main oil terminal Iraq also restarted attacks on Gulf
shipping after 7 week break
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Aug 30 Saddam speech Said Iraq would continue attacking Iran until it accepted UN Res 598 for
ceasefire
Sep 2 UN Sec Gen tried to mediate end to war
Sep 3 Iran Op Fath 10 Iranian army and KDP attacked Iraqi 33rd and 45th Div’s supply lines
Kurdistan
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Sep 5 Iran Op Fatah 10 Revolutionary Guard commando forces KDP and Badr attacked Iraqi forces
in Raqanduz Irbil
(Musings On Iraq Badr Organization A View Into Iraq’s Violent Past And Present)
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Sep 6 Ali Hassan al-Majid issued order to deport Kurdish families and arrest all males
from age 12-50 during Anfal
(Musings On Iraq Pres Bakr, Saddam, And Iraq’s Kurds Before The Anfal Campaign)
(Musings On Iraq review of The Kurds, A Modern History)
(Musings On Iraq review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)
Sep 13 Iran said it would agree to UN ceasefire if Iraq named as aggressor in war
Sep 15 Saddam told UN delegation he would accept ceasefire if UN punished Iran
Sep 15 Iran Op Zafar 1 started KDP and Badr attacked behind Iraqi lines in Dohuk
(Musings On Iraq Badr Organization A View Into Iraq’s Violent Past And Present)
Sep 22 Iranian speech at UN rejected UN ceasefire talks
Sep 27 From Nebuchadnezzar to Saddam Hussein music festival Linked ancient Iraqi and Arab
history along with Saddam cult of personality Govt argued Iran-Iraq War culture war between Arabs and Persians
Sep 29 Ali Hassan al-Majid reduced food rations for Kurds outside govt controlled camps
(Musings On Iraq Pres Bakr, Saddam, And Iraq’s Kurds Before The Anfal Campaign)
(Musings On Iraq review of The Kurds, A Modern History)
(Musings On Iraq review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)
Oct 5 Iranian Op Zafar 2 KDP and Badr attacked behind Iraqi lines in Kirkuk
(Musings On Iraq Badr Organization A View Into Iraq’s Violent Past And Present)
Oct 17 Iraq held national census
Oct 28 Soviet diplomat Vorontsov made another trip to Iran and Iraq to try to negotiate end to
war
Nov 7 Iraqis attacked Kurds in Mawat Kurdistan clearing 200 sq km
(Musings On Iraq review of The Kurds, A Modern History)
(Musings On Iraq review Kurds of Iraq, Tragedy and Hope)
Nov 11 Arab League meeting condemned Iran for not ending Iran-Iraq War
Nov 17 Iraq bombed 2 abandoned nuclear reactors in south Iran believing that Tehran had
restarted work on them
Nov 18 Iraq bombed 2 abandoned nuclear reactors in south Iran 2nd time
Dec 1 Iran attacked Fakeh area north of Basra
Dec 9 Iran launched new offensive in Maysan
Dec 21 Iran launched 2nd attack in Maysan offensive
1988
Jan 1 Iran Launched Bait al-Moqaddas 2 in Mawet Kurdistan
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jan 8 Iran naval attack on Al-Amiq oil terminal in Basra
Jan 13 Iran Op Zafar 5 KDP and Iranian forces attacked behind Iraqi lines in Kirkuk
Jan 15 Iran Op Bait al-Moqaddas 2 attacked Chwarta Kurdistan
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jan 17 Mahdi Hakim killed in Sudan by Iraqi intelligence
Jan 20 Iraqi air raid on Lavan oil refinery led to fuel shortages in Iran Trapped majority of Iranian
Revolutionary Guard units in north and couldn’t move for rest of war
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Jan 21 Iran launched 2nd naval attack on al-Amiq oil terminal in Basra
Feb 10 Iraq restarted attacks on Iranian shipping Iran retaliated in kind
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Feb 22 Iraq renewed war of cities by firing missiles at Tehran Iraq wanted to provoke
UN to get involved again with peace talks
Feb 22 Iraqi air raid on Rey oil refinery led to fuel shortages in Iran Trapped majority of Iranian
Revolutionary Guard units in north and couldn’t move for rest of war
(Musings On Iraq review Iraqi Mirages, The Dassault Mirage Family In Service With The Iraqi Air Force, 1981-1988)
Feb 23 Anfal Campaign targeted PUK HQ in Jafati Valley, Sulaymaniya Yakhsamar
Sergalou Bergalou attacked
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Anfal Campaign And The Destruction Of The Kurdish Opposition)
Feb 24 Iran Op Zafar 6 Badr and Iranian forces attacked behind Iraqi lines in Kirkuk
(Musings On Iraq Badr Organization A View Into Iraq’s Violent Past And Present)
Feb 27 Iraq fired missiles on Saqqez Iran killing 26 Also bombed Tehran refinery Iran bombed
Baghdad in retaliation
Feb 28 Iran fired SCUD missiles at Baghdad and Tikrit Tehran was trying to lure Iraq into another war of cities to decrease attacks upon its economic infrastructure
Feb 29 Iraq fired new Hussein missiles at Tehran Started 52 days straight of 3-4 Hussein missiles
hitting Tehran each day Iraq started night bombing missions on Tehran Qom Shiraz Esfahan Iran fired SCUD missiles at Baghdad and Mosul
Mar 1 Iraq fired missiles at Tehran for 2nd day
Mar 5 Iran told UN that it was ready to accept ceasefire
Mar 7 USSR submitted new proposal for negotiating end to Iran-Iraq War
Mar 10 Iraq said it would stop firing missiles at Iranian cities if Iran stopped
Mar 11 Iran and Iraq signed truce in war of cities in Ankara Didn’t last War of Cities
went on for another month
Mar 13 Iran launched Op Zafar 7 in Khurmal Sulaymaniya with Iranian forces and Badr Op Bait al-
Moqaddas 3 in Sulaymaniya Op Wa al-Fajr 10 in Halabja Goal was to capture two dams Captured 7 Kurdish villages
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Mar 13 Iraq restarted attack upon Iranian cities just 2 days after ceasefire in War of Cities
Mar 14 Iraq’s 43rd Div destroyed and Iran captured Halabja Sulaymaniya Iran captured Dukan Dam
Turned back at Darbandikhan Dam
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Mar 15 Iran seized areas south of Mawat Kurdistan
Mar 15 First detention center for Kurds displaced during Anfal campaign set up
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Anfal Campaign And The Destruction Of The Kurdish Opposition)
Mar 16 Halabja hit with chemical weapons 5000 killed Saddam would later blame Iraq’s northern
commander for attack
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s 1988 Assault Upon Halabja, And Its Conflation With The Anfal Campaign)
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq review Debriefing the President: The Interrogation of Saddam Hussein)
Mar 18 PUK retreated from Jafati Valley Kurdistan during Anfal campaign Iraq took PUK HQ
Leveled the area destroying villages
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Anfal Campaign And The Destruction Of The Kurdish Opposition)
Mar 19 End of 1st Anfal campaign that destroyed PUK’s bases in Sergalou and Bergalou,
Sulaymaniya
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Anfal Campaign And The Destruction Of The Kurdish Opposition)
Mar 22 Start of 2nd Anfal Campaign to destroy PUK and KDP bases in Sulaymaniya and
Kirkuk
Mar 22 Qara Dagh, Sulaymaniya hit with chemical artillery shells as start of 2nd Anfal
Campaign
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Anfal Campaign And The Destruction Of The Kurdish Opposition)
Mar 23 PUK base in Sulaymaniya attacked
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Anfal Campaign And The Destruction Of The Kurdish Opposition)
Mar 23 State Dept spokesman said that Iran might have used chemical artillery shells on Halabja Part
of Reagan admin defense of Iraq’s gas attack on Halabja
Mar 24 KDP base hit with poison gas in 2nd Anfal campaign Civilians rounded up and
men executed by govt forces
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Anfal Campaign And The Destruction Of The Kurdish Opposition)
Mar 24 Mujahadeen e-Khalq backed by Iraq announced attack on Shush and Dezful in Iran
Mar 26 Iraq dropped chemical bombs on Karadagh Kurdistan
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Anfal Campaign And The Destruction Of The Kurdish Opposition)
Mar 27 Iran Op Bait al-Moqaddas 4 started aimed at Darbandikhan dam
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Mar 27 Iraq dropped chemical bombs for 2nd day on Karadagh Kurdistan 64 killed 210 wounded
total during Anfal campaign
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Anfal Campaign And The Destruction Of The Kurdish Opposition)
Mar 31 Iran claimed 44,000 of its troops suffered from Iraqi chemical attacks
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Apr 1 End of 2nd Anfal campaign
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Anfal Campaign And The Destruction Of The Kurdish Opposition)
Apr 7 Start of 3rd Anfal campaign focused upon Germian, Sulaymaniya Civilians in area rounded
up and many executed
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Anfal Campaign And The Destruction Of The Kurdish Opposition)
Apr 10 Iran started Op Bait al-Moqaddas 5 in Panjwin, Kurdistan Meant to draw Iraqi forces
away from south Didn't work
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Apr 10 Iraqi forces took Qadir Karam Kurdistan from PUK during Anfal campaign
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Anfal Campaign And The Destruction Of The Kurdish Opposition)
Apr 12 Since Mar 1 10,200 Iranian casualties in War of Cities
Apr 13 PUK decided its Peshmerga and civilian followers would retreat north during Anfal
campaign
Apr 16 Iraq launched Op Ramadan al-Mubarak to recapture Faw Peninsula Started with chemical
attack but wind blew it back towards Iraqi lines killing 200 Iraq gained 20 miles
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Apr 18 Iraq recaptured Faw Peninsula 5,000 Iranians died 10,000 captured Iraq lost 800 dead
Apr 19 Rafsanjani went on TV saying that war had shifted against Iran
Apr 20 UN mediated end of last war of cities Iran-Iraq War Iraq fired 200 missiles at Iran killing
2000 Iran fired 77 missiles at Iraq Two sides were almost out of missiles leading to deal
Apr 20 End of 3rd Anfal campaign that targeted PUK in Sulaymaniya Civilians were rounded up
and put into camps Mass executions
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Anfal Campaign And The Destruction Of The Kurdish Opposition)
May 3 Start of 4th Anfal campaign focused on Lesser Zab River, Sulaymaniya Kogtapa
attacked with chemical bombs
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Anfal Campaign And The Destruction Of The Kurdish Opposition)
May 4 Iraqi forces attacked PUK in Askar Kurdistan during 4th Anfal campaign
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Anfal Campaign And The Destruction Of The Kurdish Opposition)
May 8 138 Kurdish villages in southern and central Sulaymaniya abandoned due to Anfal
campaign
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Anfal Campaign And The Destruction Of The Kurdish Opposition)
May 15 Start of 5th Anfal Campaign aimed at destroying last of PUK’s bastions in
Balisan Valley, Sulaymaniya
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Anfal Campaign And The Destruction Of The Kurdish Opposition)
May 16 Iran Op Bait al-Moqaddas 6 Gained 25 sq km in Kurdistan Turkey worried about Iranian
offensives in Kurdistan Threatened intervention if continued
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
May 23 Iraq launched offensive to re-capture all of its lost territory from Iran
May 23 Towns in Balisan Valley, Sulamaniya hit by chemical weapons in 5th Anfal
campaign
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Anfal Campaign And The Destruction Of The Kurdish Opposition)
May 25 Iraq started 2nd major offensive of yr Op Tawakalna ala Allah to clear Fish Lake Basra and
force Iran into negotiations to end war Used chemical weapons Took 6 miles
May 26 Iraq Op Tawakalna ala Allah reached Iranian border in Basra Also forced Iranians out of
southern marshes north of Basra city 6,000 Iranian casualties 3,000 Iraqi casualties
May 26 Saddam had meeting with military staff Decided next offensive would be to recapture
Majnoon Islands in Basra
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
May 27 Iraq recaptured Shalamcheh Basra
May 28 Reagan-Gorbachev Summit Gorbachev said he would pressure Iran to end Iran-Iraq War
if US helped with Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan
Jun 2 Ayatollah Khomeini made Speaker Rafsanjani commander and chief of all Iranian forces
Demanded war be won in 6 months Rafsanjani came to believe diplomatic solution needed to be found to end war
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Jun 12 Iran Op Beit al-Moqaddas 7 attacked Fish Lake Iraqi defensive line in front of Basra City
Advanced 10km into Iraqi lines causing heavy Iraqi casualties Took 700 prisoners
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Jun 14 Iraqi 1st Corps attacked in Op Mohammed Rasul Allah in Mawat Sulaymaniya
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jun 15 Iraqi counterattacks pushed Iran Op Beit al-Moqaddas 7 in Basra back to starting point
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Jun 18 Iraq Op Fury started working with Mujahadeen e-Khalq started attacking Iranian
forces using nerve gas aimed Mehran central front Nearly 3500 Iranians killed Destroyed Iranian Revolutionary Guard Division Hit 10 oil fields
(Musings On Iraq interview with Naval Postgraduate School’s Ostovar on history of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard)
(Musings On Iraq review Vanguard of the Imam, Religion, Politics, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard)
Jun 19 Iraq captured Mehran Iran central front then handed it over to Mujahedeen e-Khalq’s
National Liberation Army
Jun 25 2nd Op Tawakal ala Allah using chemical weapons Iraq attacked and retook Majnoon
Islands
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Jun 26 Iraq recaptured Majnoon Islands from Iran
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 3: Iraq’s Triumph)
Jun 27 Saddam agreed upon offensive to destroy Iranian army to prevent postwar threat
Jun 28 Iraq gained bridgehead in Iranian territory for 2nd time that year 3,000 Iranians dead 8,000
wounded 4,000 captured Defeat at Faw and Majnoon led to collapse of morale in Iran Revolutionary Guard asked govt to end war
(Musings On Iraq interview with Naval Postgraduate School’s Ostovar on history of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard)
(Musings On Iraq review Vanguard of the Imam, Religion, Politics, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard)
Jun 29 Iraq continued push into Mawat Valley Sulaymaniya and then towards Iranian border
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jun 30 Iraq recaptured Mawet, Kurdistan from Iran
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jul 1 Iraq Foreign Min Aziz admitted that Baghdad used chemical weapons in Iran-Iraq War but said
Iran started using them first
(Musings On Iraq Origins Of Iraq’s WMD Programs)
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Jul 4 Iraq 5th Corps attacked Haj Umran Rawanduz and Lake Dukan in Irbil
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jul 9 Iraq recaptured Penjwin 23 mountain peaks in Mawet area of Sulaymaniya Pushed towards
Iranian border
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jul 10 Iraq recaptured 14 mountain peaks in Panjwin area of Kurdistan
(Musings On Iraq review Iran-Iraq War Volume 4: The Forgotten Fronts)
Jul 12 Iraq Op Tawakalna ala Allah 3 began towards Dehloran in center Recaptured Muhsen
border region Goal was to destroy Iranian forces to prevent postwar threat
Jul 12 Iran withdrew from Halabja after Iraqi attack Iran counterattacked in Penjwin Sulaymaniya
but pushed back
Jul 12 Iraq started withdrawing from 2,260 sq mi of Iranian territory
Jul 13 Iraq broke Iranian lines and moved into Iran Took Dehloran Iran
Jul 13 Saddam threatened to invade southern Iran if Tehran didn’t withdraw from Halabja
Sulaymaniya
Jul 14 Iran Op Tawakalna ala Allah 3 expanded into Iranian territory in center Saddam threatened
to attack towards Ahwz in southern Iran and seize oil fields if Tehran didn’t withdraw from Kurdistan
Jul 14 Iranian leadership agreed to accept UN Resolution 598 calling for end of Iran-Iraq
War
Jul 15 Iraq Op Tawakalna ala Allah 3 withdrew from Iranian territory ending offensive Took
5,000-7,000 Iranian prisoners
Jul 15 Iraq recaptured Sirwan Kurdistan
Jul 15 Iran’s cabinet endorsed decision to accept UN Res 598 ending Iran-Iraq War but had to
convince Khomeini
Jul 15 Rafsanjani publicly announced Iran’s withdrawal from Kurdistan
Jul 16 Iran began withdrawing from Kurdistan starting with Halabja Penjwin Haj Omran Rayat in
Sulaymaniya
Jul 16 After capturing 30 mi of Iranian territory along the border Iraqi forces withdrew
back into Iraq
Jul 16 Iran’s Assembly of Experts agreed to present ceasefire proposal in Iran-Iraq War based
upon UN Resolution 598 to Ayatollah Khomeini Khomeini agreed to ceasefire
Jul 17 Saddam speech at 20th anniversary of Baath seizing power Said Iraq wanted to end Iran-Iraq
War Set 5 conditions Direct talks UN clearing of Shatt al-Arab Free navigation of Gulf End of Iranian attacks on shipping Prisoner exchange
Jul 17 Saddam ordered Iraqi troops to start withdrawing from Iran
Jul 17 Rafsanjani went to Khomeini to convince him to end war Khomeini said he would take
responsibility for war Pres Khameini wrote UN Secretary General de Cuellar requesting ceasefire and accepting UN Res 598
Jul 17 Soviet UN Amb Vorontsov made trip to Middle East to help negotiate end to war
Jul 18 Iran and Iraq agreed upon ceasefire under UN Resolution 598
Jul 18 Soviet UN Amb Vorontsov arrived in Baghdad Sent letter to UN Secretary Gen that Iran
would accept UN Res 598 Said ceasefire would start in Aug
Jul 19 Tariz Aziz said Iraq accepted Iran offer to accept UN Res 598 to end war but military ops
would continue until Iran confirmed deal
Jul 19 Iraq took Dehloran Iran 20,000 Iranian casualties 6000 captured
Jul 19 Iraq used poison gas against Kurdish villages
Jul 20 Iraqi forces reached Iranian border in Kurdistsan
Jul 20 Ayatollah Khomeini said that he endorsed Iran-Iraq War ceasefire
Jul 20 UN Sec Gen de Cuellar invited Iraq and Iran foreign ministers to NY for talks to end war
Iran refused direct talks saying it didn’t accept Saddam’s govt Led Saddam to go back on offensive to make Iran talk
Jul 20 Iraq tried to add 3 more requirements to UN Resolution 598 ceasefire including
direct talks with Iran Was meant to delay talks so Iraq could gain more territory on battlefield to increase its position
Jul 22 Iraq Op Tawakalna ala Allah 4 in Qasr e-Shirin in center and Hoveyzah in south to push
Iran into direct talks Saddam didn’t believe Khomeini committed to UN Res 598 ceasefire Just wanted break and return to war Saddam also wanted one last try at victory in Iran-Iraq War with new offensive Iraqi forces turned back in Kurdistan and Basra but gained 40 mi in Khuzistan province Iran
Jul 26 Iraq began Op Eternal Light using Mujahedeen e-Khalq attacking towards Kormanshah
Advanced 60 miles Took 2 Iranian towns with Iraqi air support hoping to start revolt against Khomeini
Jul 26 Iran and Iraq foreign ministers met to discuss ceasefire
Jul 26 PUK decided to withdraw from Balisan Valley Hit by chemical weapons while retreating
Jul 27 Iranian counterattack halted Mujahedeen e-Khalq attack towards Khormanshah in Khuzistan
Jul 29 Mujahedeen e-Khalq forced to withdraw from 2 Iranian towns ending hopes
of Iraq backed revolt against Ayatollah Khomeini
Jul 30 Iran and Iraq started talks at UN for ceasefire
Aug 6 Saddam said he would accept ceasefire to end Iran-Iraq if Iran would hold direct talks Iran
said no Saddam was trying to add his own demands to UN ceasefire proposal
Aug 7 Iran accepted ceasefire and direct talks with Iraq after implemented
Aug 7 Iraq Interior Minister Wahab visited Kuwait to talk about resolving border between two
countries
Aug 8 UN said ceasefire in Iran-Iraq War would start Aug 20 effectively ending the war
Aug 8 Govt began military campaign in southern marshes to wipe out insurgents and
anti-govt tribes in area
Aug 9 Iraq held victory celebrations for end of Iran-Iraq War
Aug 12 Pres Khamenei speech claimed Iran won Iran-Iraq War
Aug 19 UN Res 619 created military observation group to watch Iran-Iraq border to make sure
ceasefire followed
Aug 20 Ceasefire in Iran-Iraq War announced 350 UN peacekeepers deployed along border
Aug 23 UN said that Iraq used poison gas in attack on Oshnaviyeh, Iran in Aug 87 that wounded
around 2,600 civilians 7th time UN documented Iraq using WMD in war
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Use Of Chemical Weapons In Iran-Iraq War And Their Western Origin)
Aug 24 Iran and Iraq started peace talks in Geneva to officially end Iran-Iraq War
Aug 31 Ali Hassan al-Maid ordered homes of Shabaks that had changed nationality to Kurd be destroyed and families relocated
(Musings On Iraq Iraq’s Anfal Campaign And The Destruction Of The Kurdish Opposition)
Sep 22 Pres Khamenei addressed UN condemning it for never doing anything about
Iraq’s aggression during the war
Dec 29 Iran-Iraq agreed to joint commission to implement ceasefire to end war
1989
Sep 23 Kuwait Emir given medal by Saddam in Baghdad for help during Iran-Iraq
War
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