Iran-Iraq War Timeline

(September 22, 1980 - August 20, 1988)

The Iran-Iraq War, also known as the First Persian Gulf War, was a protracted armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that began on September 22, 1980, when Iraq invaded Iran, and ended with a UN-brokered ceasefire on August 20, 1988. Sparked by territorial disputes over the Shatt al-Arab waterway and Saddam Hussein's fear of the Islamic Revolution spreading, the war featured trench warfare, chemical weapons use, and attacks on civilian populations, resulting in hundreds of thousands of casualties. More Less

Go to: Timeline | Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Causes and Prelude

1979 Iranian Revolution topples the Shah

Feb 11, 1979

The Islamic Revolution overthrew the Pahlavi monarchy, bringing Ayatollah Khomeini to power. The new revolutionary government's rhetoric calling for the export of Islam alarmed Iraq's Sunni-led Ba'athist regime under Saddam Hussein, setting the stage for conflict between the two neighbors.

Image source: Iranian Revolution

Saddam Hussein becomes Iraqi president

Jul 16, 1979

Saddam Hussein consolidated power in Iraq, assuming the presidency amid a purge of rivals. Viewing post-revolutionary Iran as weakened by purges of its military, he saw an opportunity to assert Iraqi dominance in the Persian Gulf and settle long-standing disputes.

Image source: Saddam Hussein

Iraq revokes the 1975 Algiers Agreement

Sep 17, 1980

On live television, Saddam Hussein tore up the 1975 Algiers Agreement, which had set the Shatt al-Arab river boundary with Iran. He claimed full sovereignty over the waterway, removing the last diplomatic obstacle to war between the two countries.

Image source: 1975 Algiers Agreement

Major Battles

Iraq invades Iran, starting the Iran-Iraq War

Sep 22, 1980

Iraq launched a full-scale invasion of Iran with airstrikes against airfields and a ground offensive along a front stretching hundreds of miles. Saddam Hussein aimed to seize the oil-rich Khuzestan province and establish Iraqi hegemony over the Persian Gulf region.

Image source: Iran–Iraq War

Battle of Khorramshahr

Oct 24, 1980 - May 24, 1982

Iraqi troops captured the key port city of Khorramshahr after fierce urban combat, but the prolonged occupation drained their resources. In May 1982, Iranian forces recaptured the city, a turning point that shifted the momentum of the war decisively toward Iran.

Image source: Battle of Khorramshahr (1980)

Siege of Abadan begins

Nov 1980 - Sep 1981

Iraqi forces surrounded and laid siege to the strategically vital refinery city of Abadan in Khuzestan province. The city held out for nearly a year until Iranian forces broke the siege during Operation Samen-ol-A'emeh, marking one of Iran's first major victories.

Image source: Siege of Abadan

Iran launches Operation Nasr near Susangerd

Jan 5, 1981 - Jan 9, 1981

Iranian forces attempted a large armored counterattack to relieve besieged positions around Susangerd in Khuzestan. The poorly coordinated operation ended in heavy Iranian tank losses, exposing early weaknesses in Iran's reorganized revolutionary military.

Iranian counteroffensive Operation Samen-ol-A'emeh breaks siege of Abadan

Sep 22, 1981 - Sep 27, 1981

Iran launched its first major successful ground offensive, lifting the year-long Iraqi siege of Abadan. The victory demonstrated the effectiveness of combined regular army and Revolutionary Guard tactics and boosted Iranian morale significantly.

Image source: Operation Samen-ol-A'emeh

Iran recaptures Khorramshahr

Apr 30, 1982 - May 24, 1982

During Operation Beit-ol-Moqaddas, Iranian forces overwhelmed Iraqi defenders and liberated Khorramshahr. Thousands of Iraqi soldiers were captured, and shortly afterward Saddam Hussein offered a withdrawal from Iranian territory, which Tehran refused.

Image source: Battle of Khorramshahr (1982)

Iran invades Iraqi territory, entering Basra province

Jul 13, 1982 - Oct 1, 1982

With the war shifted onto Iraqi soil, Iran launched Operation Ramadan aimed at capturing the southern port city of Basra. Human-wave assaults by Iranian volunteers met entrenched Iraqi defenses, resulting in enormous casualties on both sides without a breakthrough.

Image source: Operation Ramadan

Iraq begins sustained chemical weapons use against Iranian troops

1983 - 1988

Iraq extensively employed mustard gas, sarin, and tabun against Iranian soldiers throughout the latter half of the war. Tens of thousands of Iranian troops were injured or killed, while international condemnation remained largely symbolic and unpunished.

Image source: History of chemical warfare

Iran launches Operation Dawn series of offensives

Feb 6, 1983 - Mar 1983

Iran began a series of offensives in northern and central sectors of the front. While gaining limited territory in the marshlands and mountains, these operations failed to achieve decisive strategic breakthroughs against fortified Iraqi lines.

Battle of Majnoon Islands

Feb 1984

Iranian forces seized the Majnoon oilfields north of Basra in the marshes near the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates. Iraq responded with massive chemical attacks, among the first systematic uses of nerve gas against enemy troops in the war.

Image source: Majnoon Island

Iran captures Faw Peninsula in Operation Val Fajr 8

Feb 9, 1986 - Feb 25, 1986

Iranian forces staged a surprise amphibious-style assault across the Shatt al-Arab and captured Iraq's Faw Peninsula, threatening Kuwait and Basra. The loss shocked Baghdad politically and prompted Saddam Hussein to intensify chemical warfare and seek new allies.

Image source: First Battle of al-Faw

Battle of the Marshes campaigns

Jan 1987 - Apr 1987

Iran mounted a series of offensives through southern Iraqi marshland aiming at Basra, including Operations Karbala 4 and 5. Karbala 5 became one of the bloodiest battles of the entire war, with tens of thousands of casualties and no decisive Iranian breakthrough.

Iraq deploys Scud missiles against Iranian cities

Feb 29, 1988

During the so-called War of the Cities, both sides rained ballistic missiles on civilian urban areas. Iraq fired hundreds of modified Scuds at Tehran and other cities, causing panic and mass evacuations while demonstrating Iraq's growing technological edge.

Image source: War of the cities

Halabja poison gas attack kills thousands of Kurdish civilians

Mar 16, 1988

Iraqi aircraft bombarded the Kurdish town of Halabja with chemical weapons including sarin and mustard gas, killing approximately 5,000 civilians and injuring thousands more. The attack became one of the deadliest chemical strikes ever against a civilian population.

Image source: Halabja massacre

Iraq recaptures Faw Peninsula

Apr 17, 1988

Using extensive chemical weapons and improved combined-arms tactics, Iraqi forces stormed the Faw Peninsula and expelled Iranian troops within two days. The victory restored Iraqi confidence and marked the beginning of a string of successful counteroffensives.

International Involvement

United States removes Iraq from terrorism sponsor list

1982

The Reagan administration delisted Iraq as a state sponsor of terrorism, opening the door to agricultural credits, dual-use technology exports, and intelligence sharing. This marked the beginning of significant American tilt toward Baghdad during the conflict.

Image source: United States support for Iraq during the Iran–Iraq War

UN Security Council Resolution 514 calls for ceasefire

Jul 12, 1982

The UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire and withdrawal to internationally recognized borders. Iran rejected it, demanding punishment of Iraq for aggression and compensation before agreeing to end hostilities.

Image source: United Nations Security Council Resolution 514

Tanker War begins in the Persian Gulf

1984 - 1988

Iraq and Iran attacked each other's and neutral oil shipping in the Persian Gulf, targeting tankers with aircraft and missiles. Hundreds of vessels were damaged, driving up global insurance rates and drawing outside powers deeper into the conflict's maritime dimension.

Image source: Tanker war

Kuwait requests US protection for its tankers

Mar 1987

Under pressure from Iranian attacks on Gulf shipping, Kuwait asked the United States to reflag Kuwaiti tankers under the American flag. The move drew the US Navy directly into escort duties in the Persian Gulf and heightened superpower involvement in the war.

Image source: Operation Earnest Will

Kuwait requests US protection for its tankers

Iranian missile attack on USS Stark

May 17, 1987

An Iraqi Mirage F1 fighter fired Exocet missiles at the American frigate USS Stark, killing 37 sailors. Iraq claimed the attack was accidental, and the United States accepted the apology, but the incident underscored the dangers of foreign navies operating in the war zone.

Image source: USS Stark incident

US Navy launches Operation Earnest Will tanker escorts

Jul 24, 1987 - Sep 26, 1988

The largest American naval convoy operation since World War II escorted Kuwaiti tankers through the Persian Gulf. The mission brought US forces into direct clashes with Iran, including Operations Praying Mantis and Nimble Archer.

USS Vincennes shoots down Iran Air Flight 655

Jul 3, 1988

The US Navy cruiser USS Vincennes mistakenly shot down a civilian Iranian airliner over the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 people aboard. Washington expressed regret but never apologized, deepening Iranian resentment and contributing to Tehran's willingness to end the war.

Image source: Iran Air Flight 655

End of the War

Death toll estimated at over one million casualties

1988

Postwar assessments concluded the war caused roughly 500,000 to 1 million deaths and well over a million wounded across both nations, with economic losses exceeding hundreds of billions of dollars. Neither side achieved its territorial aims, leaving the border essentially unchanged.

Image source: Iran–Iraq War

Ayatollah Khomeini accepts UN Resolution 598 ceasefire

Jul 20, 1988

Exhausted and increasingly isolated, Iran accepted UN Security Council Resolution 598, which Khomeini likened to 'drinking a cup of poison.' The decision ended Iran's hopes of overthrowing Saddam Hussein and paved the way for a formal cessation of hostilities.

Ceasefire takes effect ending active hostilities

Aug 20, 1988

A United Nations-brokered ceasefire came into effect, halting eight years of warfare. Both sides agreed to withdraw to international borders and exchange prisoners, though formal negotiations over disputed issues would drag on for years afterward.

Prisoner of war exchanges begin under UN supervision

1990 - 2003

Nearly 14 years after the ceasefire, the final POW exchanges were completed, with tens of thousands of soldiers repatriated over the intervening years. Many families waited decades to learn the fate of loved ones listed as missing in action.

Iraq formally recognizes Iranian sovereignty over Shatt al-Arab

Aug 14, 1990

Facing the looming Gulf War crisis after invading Kuwait, Saddam Hussein abruptly conceded to Iran's terms, restoring the 1975 Algiers Agreement boundaries and releasing prisoners. Iran's neutrality in the ensuing Gulf War sealed the formal end of disputes from the earlier conflict.

Image source: Shatt al-Arab

Key Facts

The war began on September 22, 1980, when Iraq under Saddam Hussein launched a full-scale invasion of Iran following the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
A central cause of the conflict was the dispute over control of the Shatt al-Arab (Arvand Rud) waterway, which forms part of the border between the two countries.
The war became one of the longest conventional wars of the 20th century, lasting nearly eight years and featuring trench warfare reminiscent of World War I.
Both sides used chemical weapons, most notably during the Halabja massacre in March 1988, when Iraqi forces killed thousands of Kurdish civilians.
The war ended on August 20, 1988, with a United Nations-brokered ceasefire based on Resolution 598, without any significant territorial changes, and resulted in an estimated 500,000 to 1 million deaths.

Source

This Iran-Iraq War timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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