Iraq began open warfare by attacking Iran with air strikes and a ground invasion along the border, initiating what became an eight-year conflict between the two states.
Iran’s air force launched Operation Kaman 99, a large retaliatory strike package against Iraqi airbases and infrastructure, demonstrating Iran’s ability to sustain air operations early in the war.
Iran began Operation Fath ol-Mobin in southwestern Iran with the aim of encircling Iraqi forces near Shush, part of the broader campaign that helped reverse early Iraqi gains in the south.
During Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas, Iranian forces recaptured the strategic port city of Khorramshahr, a major turning point that pushed Iraqi forces back toward the international border.
Iran launched Operation Ramadan near Basra, marking an escalation from liberating Iranian territory to attempting deeper offensives inside Iraq; the operation failed to achieve its main objective.
Iraq initiated a cycle of missile and air attacks on urban centers—later termed the War of the Cities—expanding the conflict’s impact on civilians and infrastructure beyond front lines.
Iran conducted Operation Badr in the marshlands near al-Qurnah, temporarily threatening key Iraqi supply routes before Iraqi counterattacks forced Iranian withdrawals.
Iran seized the strategically important al-Faw Peninsula, threatening Iraq’s access to the Persian Gulf and prompting Iraq to intensify countermeasures and later plan major offensives to retake it.
Iran opened Operation Karbala-5 near Basra, one of the war’s largest and bloodiest battles, aiming to break Iraqi defenses around the city but ultimately failing to capture it.
During the Tanker War phase, an Iraqi jet hit the U.S. frigate USS Stark with two Exocet missiles in the Persian Gulf, killing 37 U.S. sailors and intensifying international attention on Gulf security.
The UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 598, calling for an immediate ceasefire, withdrawal to internationally recognized borders, and UN monitoring—providing the framework that later ended combat operations.
Iraqi forces carried out a large-scale chemical attack on Halabja in Iraqi Kurdistan, killing thousands of civilians; the atrocity became one of the most infamous chemical weapons episodes of the war’s final phase.
Iraq recaptured the al-Faw Peninsula in a major 1988 offensive, reflecting Iraq’s improved capabilities and helping shift momentum toward the war’s endgame.
The U.S. launched Operation Praying Mantis against Iranian naval and oil-platform targets in the Persian Gulf, the largest U.S.–Iran naval clash, in retaliation for the mining of USS Samuel B. Roberts.
Iran Air Flight 655, a civilian Airbus A300, was shot down over the Strait of Hormuz by the U.S. Navy, killing all 290 aboard and worsening tensions during the war’s closing months.
Iran communicated its acceptance of UNSC Resolution 598 to the UN Secretary-General, removing a major diplomatic barrier to a ceasefire.
The Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) launched an incursion from Iraq into western Iran; Iran’s counteroffensive, Operation Mersad, repelled the attack in the war’s final major land battle.
The ceasefire associated with UNSC 598 came into effect at 03:00 GMT, and the UN deployed UNIIMOG observers to monitor compliance and help stabilize the Iran–Iraq border.
Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988)
