Historical Organization

Soviet Union

Iraq Iran war 📍 Iran

Soviet Union

Details

Organization Timeline

Muskie and Gromyko discuss containing the war

📅 25 September 1980

Muskie and Gromyko discussed an immediate ceasefire and preventing outside intervention. They disagreed over the U.S. naval presence near Iran and the protection of Gulf shipping.

Dobrynin challenges U.S. claims of neutrality

📅 4 October 1980

Dobrynin delivered a Soviet statement asking Washington to explain Saudi AWACS deployments and proposed Hormuz naval activity. Muskie defended the moves as preparations for defensive contingencies.

Gromyko rebukes U.S. Gulf naval buildup

📅 14 October 1980

Gromyko told Ambassador Watson that U.S. naval deployments increased pressure on Iran. He denied Soviet arms deliveries to either belligerent and urged restraint, according to the U.S. meeting report.

Reagan proposes Soviet cooperation against chemical-weapons spread

📅 30 April 1985

Reagan wrote to Gorbachev proposing expert talks on chemical weapons, citing their use in the Iran-Iraq War as a pressing concern.

Shultz and Shevardnadze discuss ending the war without a victor

📅 20 September 1986

Shultz and Shevardnadze discussed efforts to stop the war without victors or vanquished. Soviet diplomacy with both sides had produced no settlement, according to the record.

Jane’s account alleges Soviet-linked supplies to Iran

📅 26 November 1986

UPI relayed Jane’s reporting that Soviet arms reached Iran through intermediaries. The account contrasted indirect Iranian access with the Soviet Union’s role as Iraq’s principal supplier.

Iran and the USSR sign an economic protocol

📅 11 December 1986

Iran and the Soviet Union signed a protocol after their first economic commission meeting since 1980. The talks reopened a formal channel for economic cooperation during the war.

TASS reports a Soviet tanker’s mine damage

📅 17 May 1987

TASS reported that a Soviet tanker had struck a mine off Kuwait. The incident exposed Soviet-linked commercial shipping to the hazards of the Gulf war.

Reagan asks Gorbachev for UN enforcement cooperation

📅 29 June 1987

Reagan sent Gorbachev a message urging agreement on ceasefire enforcement measures, including a possible arms embargo, as Security Council diplomacy advanced.

Gorbachev’s reply favors UN diplomacy but leaves sanctions unsettled

📅 18 July 1987

Gorbachev’s reply reached Washington supporting ceasefire diplomacy while offering no firm commitment to sanctions, according to Carlucci’s subsequent memorandum.

Washington questions Soviet neutrality as a Gulf mediator

📅 9 September 1987

A State Department spokesman questioned whether the Soviet Union could act as an impartial mediator between Iran and Iraq, exposing disagreement over diplomatic roles.

Soviet-U.S. talks examine parallel ceasefire and inquiry steps

📅 24 September 1987

Shevardnadze and Shultz discussed whether ceasefire measures and an inquiry into responsibility could proceed in parallel, addressing a central obstacle in Iranian-Iraqi diplomacy.

Shultz and Shevardnadze disagree on embargo timing and naval presence

📅 22 October 1987

In Moscow, Shultz pressed for further action while Shevardnadze warned that U.S. naval deployment complicated UN diplomacy and urged intensified negotiations.

Shultz tells Aziz the U.S. will seek Soviet embargo support

📅 7 December 1987

Shultz told Tariq Aziz that Washington would press for Soviet support for an arms embargo against Iran during the Reagan-Gorbachev summit.

Howe presses Shevardnadze over UN embargo cooperation

📅 7 December 1987

Geoffrey Howe raised Soviet cooperation on an arms embargo with Shevardnadze, according to a later British parliamentary account.

Gorbachev publicly favors more time for UN negotiations

📅 10 December 1987

At his summit-ending press conference, Gorbachev argued for more time for UN diplomacy on the war, leaving the U.S. push for an immediate embargo unresolved.

Shultz proposes an embargo with a delayed start

📅 21 February 1988

Shultz proposed a mandatory embargo with a thirty-day delay during Moscow talks. Shevardnadze stressed Soviet concerns over Iraq’s staying power and the U.S. Gulf fleet.

Moscow summit records continued U.S. support for UN pressure

📅 1 June 1988

During the Moscow summit, Shultz reaffirmed support for a follow-up resolution to pressure the belligerents to end the war, showing diplomacy continuing before Iran’s acceptance.

Soviet minister’s Iran talks include reviving peace negotiations

📅 28 February 1989

As Eduard Shevardnadze ended his regional trip, reporting noted that his Iranian discussions included reopening talks with Iraq. Soviet diplomacy sought movement in the stalled postwar process.

Iran and Iraq accept a Soviet mediation proposal

📅 11 January 1990

Iran and Iraq accepted a Soviet proposal for their foreign ministers to meet in Moscow with Shevardnadze. Acceptance of the venue did not itself settle withdrawal or prisoner disputes.