Gulf War: History, Consequences & Summary

This article is about the Gulf Wars in Iran and Iraq, which took place from 1980 to 2003. In this article you will learn why the wars started, how they went, how they came to an end and the consequences of the conflict to this day.

This article is part of the history subject and expands on the topic of the Middle East conflict.

Everything you need to know about the Gulf Wars in a nutshell:

• First Gulf War (09/22/1980 – 08/20/1988): Territorial disputes over Khuzestan province and border region prompt Iraq to attack Iran, Iraq’s offensive quickly stalled, 1981 ceasefire offer from Iraq, Iran rejects, counterattacks without significant success, 1988 ceasefire by UN resolution
• Second Gulf War (08/02/1990 – 02/28/1991): Dispute over the border region and oil fields between Iraq and Kuwait, Iraq invades Kuwait, takes Kuwait, then intervention by the UN first through a resolution, later through military action, which forces Iraq to withdraw, 28.02. 1991 Iraq accepts resolutions, April 12, 1991 official ceasefire
• Third Gulf War (03/20/2003 – 04/09/2003): Suspicion Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction, end of Hussein’s dictatorship and the mass murder of Kurds and Shiites, allegation that Hussein supports Al Qaeda, «coalition of the willing» with American-British leadership attacked without UN mandate on 20.3 .2003 Baghdad and took the city on April 9th, 2003, with the fall of Hussein’s statue his regime also fell
• Iraq today is a republic, but western democracy has not really been able to establish itself

The First Gulf War

A brief overview of the most important facts about the First Gulf War:

• Domestic tensions and changes of government shortly before the outbreak of war in Iran and Iraq
• Reason first gulf war: territorial disputes, religious and ideological points of conflict
• 09/22/1980 Iraq attacks Iran, main target Khuzestan province
• 10/24/1980 Conquest of the first large city by Iraq, but then the offensive quickly came to a standstill due to the underestimated resistance of the Iranians
• From 1981 Iranians pushed back Iraqi armies, Hussein withdrew armies and offered a ceasefire, Iran refused and counterattacked, but no significant successes
• «War of the Cities»: rocket fire in residential and industrial areas
• «War of the Tankers»: Destruction of the ships carrying oil
• End of the first Gulf War: On August 20, 1988, Iran was forced to accept the UN ceasefire resolution due to the economic crisis, political isolation and Iraq’s successes

The first Gulf War began on September 22, 1980 with Iraq’s attack on Iran. It lasted for eight years until August 20, 1988, when the armistice came into force.

Historical context of the situation before the start of the war

Both Iran and Iraq were in one before the first Gulf War difficult domestic situation.

Until the 1958 revolution, Iraq was governed by a monarchy. After the proclamation of the republic, Iraq received social and democratic reforms, but the country’s politics became increasingly dictatorial. Attempted coups by the government ended in the Baath party taking power, and after the then president had to resign due to illness in 1979, he took over Saddam Hussein The institution.

Immediately after taking office, Saddam Hussein had numerous leading party members executed in order to counter internal party resistance. Eventually, under the pretext of pan-Arabism, Iraq claimed that too leadership in the regionbeyond the Iraqi borders.

In Iran was since 1941 Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlani Head of state and, with the toleration of the West, sole ruler of Iran. He initiated reforms that met with resistance from the clergy and the population. From 1978 there were mass protests and strikes in Iran, which finally drove the Shah to flee his country on January 16, 1979.

The opposition leader and religious leader Ayatollah Ruholla Khomeini returned to Iran after the Shah fled and arranged for a referendum to be held in which voters decided what form of government Iran should have in the future. The result of the referendum showed with 97 percent approval that the people of Iran in a republic wanted to live.

Khomeini then established Shia theocrats in Iran and made himself a religious leader. He developed a religio-political concept of «rule of the Islamic jurists«, with which he made extensive powers his own. For example, this concept authorized him to depose the president and to appoint the heads of the judiciary, the military and the security forces. An Islamization of the judiciary, schools and universities followed There was resistance from the Islamic-Marxist People’s Mojahedin in the form of terrorist attacks and attempts to overthrow the regime Critics and opponents of the government were threatened, arrested and in some cases murdered.

In addition to internal political conflicts, there were also disputes between the two countries over the Rule in the region around the Shatt al-Arab border river. Iraq also laid claim to the oil-rich Iranian province Khuzestan. In addition, there was religious tensions between the countries. While the Sunni religion was predominant in Iraq, Shiism was the state religion in Iran. Last but not least there was also ideological points of conflictbecause Iraq followed a nationally oriented pan-Arabism, while in Iran the pan-Islamic vision prevailed.

Course of the First Gulf War

On September 22, 1980, the war began with Iraq’s attack on Iran. It had been expected that Iran would not be able to withstand an external attack due to its weakening domestic policy. So ground troops went into Iran, the main thrust being the province of Khuzestan, which Iraq laid claim to.

It was also hoped that the Arabs living there would join Iraq. This did not happen, however, and the conquest turned out to be more difficult than expected, since even the Shiite Arabs opposed Iraq. On October 24th the first conquest of a larger city succeeded Khorramshahr.

However, due to the fierce resistance, the Iraqi army’s offensive came to a standstill by December 80 to 120 km behind the Iranian border. From 1981 onwards, the Iranian army then pushed Iraq back out of the conquered areas. In June 1982, Hussein also had the last troops withdraw from the occupied areas and announced his armistice.

However, Iran rejected it, Iran saw the opportunity islamic revolution also be transferred to the neighboring country. A protracted trench warfare without significant land gains by Iran followed.

The war claimed around one million lives, including many civilians. This was mainly due to the so-called «War of the Cities», in which Iranian and Iraqi forces fired rockets at each other in residential areas and near industrial sites. Iraq also used chemical and biological weapons, which were highly controversial and considered morally reprehensible.

In which «War of the Tankers» Ships carrying oil for the enemy were destroyed in order to weaken their economy. Iran also expanded its attacks on other Gulf nations carrying raw materials for Iraq. In this war, a US ship (USS Stark) was accidentally killed by attacked by an Iraqi plane.

In this war, Iran also recruited children and young people, among other things, who were also sent to the front as human «mine clearers». Parents were promised bonuses if their children died as «martyrs» in the war.

The end of the first Gulf War and the aftermath of the war

The USA, France and Great Britain saw one in the war Endangerment of oil transport and therefore sent naval troops to the Persian Gulf. Kuwait’s merchant ships sailed under US protection from 1987. The oil exports of Iran and Iraq dropped enormously due to the «war of the tankers» and almost brought the economic development of both countries to a standstill. Iraq was financed in this war by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, it was also supported by the US and the Soviet Union.

Iran, on the other hand, was more isolated internationally. His major allies included Syria and Libya. The aftermath of the war plunged Iran into a Economic crisiswhich combined with Iraq’s political isolation and achievements helped Iran pass the UN Security Council Armistice Resolution 598 accepted on August 20, 1988. This was the end of the first Gulf War, but to this day there is no peace treaty between the two countries.

The Second Gulf War

A brief overview of the most important facts about the second Gulf War:

• occasion of the second Gulf War: Dispute over border region and oil fields between Iraq and Kuwait
• 08/02/1990 Iraq invades Kuwait, UN demands an unconditional and immediate withdrawal on the day of the invasion
• 08/06/1990 UN issues economic, financial and military embargo against Iraq, Operation Desert Shield: USA sends troops to Saudi Arabia to join a multinational army
• 08/18/1990 Iraq declares Kuwait its 19th province
• Further UN resolutions did not help, the USA announces that it will send 200,000 more soldiers to Saudi Arabia, under pressure from the USA, the UN decides on Resolution 678, with which member states are entitled to use «all necessary means» should Iraq by January 15, 1991 not comply with the resolutions
• USA rejects negotiations with Iraq, resolves military action on January 12, 1991
• Desert Storm: on January 17, 1990, intervention begins with an air raid, on February 24, 1991, ground troops marched into Kuwait and occupied the country
• End of second gulf war: Withdrawal of Iraqi troops, Iraq recognized UN resolutions on February 28, 1991, official armistice only from April 12, 1991
• USA violates international law in the war, UN is criticized for having allowed itself to be put under too much pressure by the USA
• consequences: Considerable damage to Iraq’s civilian infrastructure, shortage of medicine and food due to economic embargo, US regional power due to troop presence

The states of Iraq, Kuwait and the USA or allied UN member states were involved in the second Gulf War. It began on August 2, 1990 with Iraq’s conquest of Kuwait and ended on February 28, 1991 with the intervention of the US-led allies of the UN countries.

Cause of the second Gulf War

Two years after the end of the first Gulf War was Iraq heavily in debt. Rich neighbor Kuwait was accused of expanding its own oil production at Iraq’s expense. Among other things, Iraqi sources should have been tapped. It broke Dispute with Kuwait over the…