Historical Organization
Iraqi Armed Forces
Iraqi Armed Forces
Details
Organization Timeline
Iraqi invasion confronts Iran with a Soviet-armed neighbour
📅 22 September 1980Iraq launched its full-scale invasion of Iran. Iraq’s military relationship with the USSR became a central concern for Tehran during the war.
Iraq launches air strikes and a ground invasion of Iran
đź“… 22 September 1980Iraqi aircraft struck Iranian air bases while Iraqi forces crossed the border on three fronts, including into Khuzestan. Iran experienced the opening as an invasion of its internationally recognized...
Iraqi forces occupy Khorramshahr after weeks of resistance
📅 24 October 1980After weeks of intense street fighting, Iraqi forces captured Khorramshahr. Iranian defenders included regular forces, Revolutionary Guards, and volunteers. Iran’s later public memory calls the city...
Iran launches a counteroffensive near Susangerd
📅 5 January 1981Iran’s first major counterattack sought to reverse Iraq’s advance near Susangerd. It initially made gains, but Iraqi forces encircled Iranian units and inflicted heavy losses. The operation exposed...
Iranian offensive breaks the siege of Abadan
đź“… 27 September 1981Iranian forces launched a coordinated attack that drove Iraqi troops west of the Karun River and ended the nearly year-long siege of Abadan. For Iran, reopening the city and protecting its oil...
Iran launches Operation Tariq al-Qods near Bostan
📅 29 November 1981Iran began an offensive in the Bostan area, using regular forces and Revolutionary Guards in a joint operation. The operation pushed Iraqi troops from positions around Bostan and demonstrated Iran’s...
Iran begins an offensive in the Qasr-e Shirin area
📅 12 December 1981Iranian forces launched a limited offensive near Qasr-e Shirin and recaptured some territory. The operation formed part of a series of late-1981 counterattacks that gradually reversed Iraq’s early...
Iran launches Operation Fath ol-Mobin
📅 22 March 1982Iran opened a major offensive in the Shush–Dezful area. Regular army units and Revolutionary Guards combined conventional maneuver with mass volunteer assaults. The operation inflicted a major...
Operation Fath ol-Mobin ends with major Iranian gains
đź“… 30 March 1982The operation ended after Iranian forces retook substantial territory and forced Iraqi units to withdraw toward the prewar boundary. Iranian accounts presented the outcome as proof that the invasion...
Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas opens its main offensive
đź“… 30 April 1982Iran began the main offensive toward Khorramshahr. Its success depended on coordinated movements by regular army units, Guards, and volunteers through difficult terrain and Iraqi defensive lines....
Iranian forces complete the first phase of the Khorramshahr campaign
📅 12 May 1982By mid-May, Iranian forces had pushed Iraqi troops back toward Khorramshahr after weeks of fighting. The advance set up the final assault on the city and made the defense of Iraq’s last major foothold...
Iran launches the final assault on Iraqi positions in Khorramshahr
📅 20 May 1982Iranian forces attacked fortified Iraqi positions around Khorramshahr. Iraq had reinforced the city, and the fighting was intense. Iran’s advance culminated in the city’s recapture several days later,...
Iran recaptures Khorramshahr
📅 24 May 1982Iranian troops entered Khorramshahr and captured thousands of Iraqi soldiers. The city’s recovery became a defining Iranian victory and is commemorated annually in Iran. It restored Iranian control...
Iran launches Operation Ramadan across the border into Iraq
📅 13 July 1982Iranian forces crossed into Iraq toward Basra. Iran’s leadership debated whether to stop at the prewar boundary or carry the war into Iraq to compel Saddam Hussein’s government to accept Iranian...
Operation Ramadan fails to break Iraqi defenses near Basra
đź“… 29 July 1982After weeks of fighting, Iranian forces did not penetrate Iraqi defenses around Basra. The operation revealed the high cost of advancing into prepared Iraqi positions and the difficulty Iran faced...
Iran launches Operation Dawn 2 in Iraqi Kurdistan
đź“… 22 July 1983Iranian forces opened Operation Dawn 2 in the northern sector, advancing into Iraqi Kurdistan. The operation widened the front and sought to stretch Iraqi forces while supporting Kurdish opposition to...
Iran launches Operation Kheibar
đź“… 15 February 1984Iran began a major offensive through the marshes east of Basra. The operation sought to bypass Iraqi defenses and threaten the strategic road linking Basra and Baghdad. Iranian troops faced...
Iranian forces capture parts of the Majnoon Islands
📅 22 February 1984Iranian units seized positions in the Majnoon oil-field islands during Operation Kheibar. The gains demonstrated Iran’s capacity to surprise Iraqi defenses in marshland, while exposing Iranian...
Iran launches Operation Badr across the Tigris
📅 11 March 1985Iranian forces began Operation Badr in an attempt to cross the Tigris and threaten the Baghdad–Basra highway. The offensive made an initial bridgehead but faced a powerful Iraqi counterattack. The...
Iran launches Operation Dawn 8 toward the al-Faw peninsula
đź“… 9 February 1986Iran began a surprise amphibious and ground offensive through the Shatt al-Arab marshes toward al-Faw. The operation combined Revolutionary Guard, army, and volunteer forces and took advantage of...
Iran captures the al-Faw peninsula
📅 11 February 1986Iranian forces secured al-Faw, giving Iran its most significant territorial gain since Khorramshahr. The capture threatened Iraq’s limited access to the Gulf and shocked Baghdad and its supporters....
Iran launches Operation Karbala 4 toward Basra
đź“… 24 December 1986Iran began an offensive aimed at crossing the Shatt al-Arab and advancing toward Basra. Iraqi forces repelled the operation with heavy losses to Iranian troops. The failure preceded another major...
Iran launches Operation Karbala 5 near Basra
đź“… 9 January 1987Iran began its largest offensive of the war, targeting Iraqi defenses east of Basra. The battle involved mass infantry assaults, artillery, and heavy casualties on both sides. Iran hoped that taking...
The main phase of the Karbala 5 battle ends without capture of Basra
📅 23 February 1987After weeks of fighting, Iran failed to capture Basra. The offensive inflicted severe losses and demonstrated that Iran could threaten the city but could not overcome Iraq’s fortified defenses. The...
Iraqi forces attack Halabja with chemical weapons
đź“… 16 March 1988Iraqi forces attacked Halabja in Iraqi Kurdistan with chemical weapons, killing thousands of civilians. Iranian forces were operating in the area and Iran publicized evidence of the attack. The...
Iraqi forces retake al-Faw
📅 17 April 1988Iraq launched a major offensive, using chemical munitions and overwhelming Iranian positions to retake al-Faw. The reversal erased Iran’s most important territorial gain of 1986 and signaled a...
Iraqi forces retake the Majnoon Islands
📅 25 June 1988Iraqi forces recaptured the Majnoon Islands during a series of offensives that reversed Iran’s gains. Iranian positions were weakened by shortages and Iraq’s renewed use of chemical weapons. These...