# Canonical recap data for Iran-Iraq War Begins (1980)
# Source: https://recap.at/1980/iran-iraq-war
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: iran-iraq-war
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1980/iran-iraq-war"
title: Iran-Iraq War Begins
aliases:
- Iraq-Iran War
- The First Gulf War
- Iran-Iraq Conflict
subtitle: Iran-Iraq War Begins
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1980-09-22
datePrecision: day
year: 1980
decade: 1980
country:
name: Iran
slug: iran
summaryShort: The Iran–Iraq War began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran in September 1980. After eight years of conflict, both countries accepted a ceasefire deal brokered by the United Nations, which became effective in August 1988. The war caused around 500,000 deaths, making it the deadliest conventional war ever fought between reg
summaryLong: The Iran–Iraq War began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran in September 1980. After eight years of conflict, both countries accepted a ceasefire deal brokered by the United Nations, which became effective in August 1988. The war caused around 500,000 deaths, making it the deadliest conventional war ever fought between regular armies of developing countries.
lede: Iraq invaded Iran on September 22, 1980, launching a war that would last eight years and kill around 500,000 people. Fought over territorial disputes, regional power, and ideology, it became the deadliest conventional conflict between two nations since World War II. A UN-brokered ceasefire took effect in August 1988, leaving both countries devastated and the underlying tensions unresolved.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7a/Unknown_Martyrs-Iran_Qom_City-Pardisan_City-_Photojournalist_Mostafa_Meraji_%2879%29.jpg/1280px-Unknown_Martyrs-Iran_Qom_City-Pardisan_City-_Photojournalist_Mostafa_Meraji_%2879%29.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Iran–Iraq War"
importance: 50
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Start Date
  value: September 22, 1980
- label: End Date
  value: August 20, 1988
- label: Duration
  value: 8 years
- label: Estimated Deaths
  value: 500,000
- label: Iraqi Forces Commander
  value: Saddam Hussein
- label: Iranian Forces Commander
  value: Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini
- label: Ceasefire Broker
  value: United Nations
- label: Primary Cause
  value: Territorial dispute over Shatt al-Arab waterway and regional hegemony
timeline:
- date: 1980-09-22
  title: Iraqi Invasion Begins
  description: Saddam Hussein's forces cross into Iran, seeking to capture the oil-rich Khuzestan province and establish Iraqi dominance in the Persian Gulf region.
- date: 1980-11-01
  title: Oil Prices Spike
  description: Disruption to Gulf oil production sends global crude prices above $40 per barrel, affecting economies worldwide.
- date: 1982-06-20
  title: Iraq Withdraws to Pre-War Borders
  description: Iranian counteroffensives push Iraqi forces back. Rather than negotiate, Khomeini declares the war will continue until regime change in Baghdad.
- date: 1983-02-01
  title: War of Attrition Intensifies
  description: Human wave attacks by Iranian Revolutionary Guards become the dominant military tactic, resulting in massive casualties on both sides.
- date: 1984-03-15
  title: Chemical Weapons First Used
  description: Iraq deploys mustard gas against Iranian forces and Kurdish civilians, marking escalation toward weapons of mass destruction.
- date: 1987-07-20
  title: UN Security Council Resolution 598
  description: The UN passes a ceasefire resolution demanding immediate halt to hostilities, though both nations initially reject terms.
- date: 1988-07-18
  title: Iran Accepts Ceasefire
  description: Khomeini announces acceptance of the UN resolution, calling it bitter but necessary. Iran's economy and military capacity are exhausted.
- date: 1988-08-20
  title: Ceasefire Becomes Effective
  description: Guns fall silent after 2,922 days of continuous conflict. Hundreds of thousands are dead or wounded; both nations face massive reconstruction costs.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93Iraq_War"
  title: Iran-Iraq War
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The Iran-Iraq War reshaped the geopolitics of the Middle East, drained both nations' economies, and demonstrated the scale of destruction possible in a prolonged modern conflict fought with conventional weapons. The stalemate ceasefire left territorial and sectarian grievances intact, contributing to instability that persists decades later.
categories:
- war
taxonomy:
domain: military
eventTypes:
- war
- invasion
- occupation
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- transformation
- collapse
impactRadius: regional
velocity: cascading
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: conflict
metaDescription: "Iran-Iraq War: 1980-1988 conflict that killed 500,000 and reshaped Middle East power dynamics."
wikidataQid: Q82664
comparisonThenNow:
- metric: Global oil prices
  thenValue: $32 per barrel
  thenYear: 1980
  nowValue: $80 per barrel
  nowYear: 2024
  note: War disrupted Gulf production; modern prices reflect different geopolitical factors
- metric: Iran's population
  thenValue: 37.6 million
  thenYear: 1980
  nowValue: 89 million
  nowYear: 2023
  note: War killed roughly 500,000 Iranians; population has since more than doubled
- metric: Iraq's military spending
  thenValue: $13.5 billion annually
  thenYear: 1980
  nowValue: $6.7 billion annually
  nowYear: 2023
  note: Peak wartime expenditure far exceeded current defense budget
consequences:
- title: Chemical weapons normalization in Middle East
  year: 1984
  description: Iraq deployed mustard gas and nerve agents against Iranian forces starting in 1983; by 1984 these became routine. The international community largely ignored documented violations, establishing precedent for regional chemical weapons use.
- title: Iran's regional isolation deepens
  year: 1987
  description: The war ended with Iran diplomatically isolated despite military stalemate. Khomeini's radical foreign policy during the conflict had alienated moderate Arab states and the West, constraining Iran's regional influence for decades.
- title: Iraqi debt and economic collapse
  year: 1990
  description: Iraq emerged from 1988 ceasefire owing $80-120 billion to Gulf creditors. Unable to service this debt, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in August 1990, directly triggering the Persian Gulf War.
- title: Straits of Hormuz militarization
  year: 1988
  description: The Tanker War (1984-1988) saw both sides target commercial shipping in the Gulf. Post-war, the U.S. permanently expanded naval presence in the Strait, establishing patterns of military positioning that persist today.
- title: Refugee crisis across region
  year: 1988
  description: By ceasefire, 2.4 million people had fled their homes. Iraq's internally displaced populations and Iranian refugees in Turkey, Syria, and Lebanon created humanitarian crises that lingered well into the 1990s.
culturalContext:
topMusic:
- title: Rock the Casbah
  artist: The Clash
  year: 1982
  note: British punk band's commentary on Middle Eastern conflict, released mid-war
  referenceCard:
  status: ok
  checkedAt: "2026-05-27T10:30:10.059Z"
- title: Bab L'Bluz
  artist: Nass El Ghiwane
  year: 1980
  note: Moroccan group's socially conscious music reflected regional anxiety over Gulf instability
  referenceCard:
  status: ok
  checkedAt: "2026-05-27T10:30:10.059Z"
topFilms: []
topTVShows: []
zeitgeistNote: Western media coverage oscillated between Cold War proxy-war framing and dismissive coverage of 'Middle Eastern instability.' The war barely penetrated mainstream American or European culture despite its scale. Iranian cinema became the primary artistic lens for processing conflict trauma.
relatedQueries:
- Iran-Iraq War timeline 1980-1988
- Saddam Hussein invasion Iran September 1980
- Tanker War Gulf shipping attacks
- chemical weapons Iraq Iran war
- Iran-Iraq War UN ceasefire August 1988
- Iraqi debt Persian Gulf War 1990
- Ayatollah Khomeini Iran-Iraq War
- casualties Iran-Iraq War statistics
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e1/Chemical_weapon1.jpg/1280px-Chemical_weapon1.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e1/Chemical_weapon1.jpg/800px-Chemical_weapon1.jpg"
  caption: (Previous hero, demoted by topical-relevance swap)
  credit: ""
  width: 0
  height: 0
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Iran_Iraq_Locator.svg/1280px-Iran_Iraq_Locator.svg.png"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Iran_Iraq_Locator.svg/800px-Iran_Iraq_Locator.svg.png"
  caption: Iran–Iraq relations
  credit: Wikipedia · "Iran–Iraq relations"
  width: 330
  height: 221
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/Unknown_Martyrs-Iran_Qom_City-Pardisan_City-_Photo_by_Mostafa_Meraji_%2816%29.jpg/1280px-Unknown_Martyrs-Iran_Qom_City-Pardisan_City-_Photo_by_Mostafa_Meraji_%2816%29.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/Unknown_Martyrs-Iran_Qom_City-Pardisan_City-_Photo_by_Mostafa_Meraji_%2816%29.jpg/800px-Unknown_Martyrs-Iran_Qom_City-Pardisan_City-_Photo_by_Mostafa_Meraji_%2816%29.jpg"
  caption: Unknown Martyrs-Iran Qom City-Pardisan City- Photo by Mostafa Meraji (16)
  credit: Mostafameraji
  width: 4752
  height: 3168
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Unknown_Martyrs-Iran_Qom_City-Pardisan_City-_Photo_by_Mostafa_Meraji_%2828%29.jpg/1280px-Unknown_Martyrs-Iran_Qom_City-Pardisan_City-_Photo_by_Mostafa_Meraji_%2828%29.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6d/Unknown_Martyrs-Iran_Qom_City-Pardisan_City-_Photo_by_Mostafa_Meraji_%2828%29.jpg/800px-Unknown_Martyrs-Iran_Qom_City-Pardisan_City-_Photo_by_Mostafa_Meraji_%2828%29.jpg"
  caption: Unknown Martyrs-Iran Qom City-Pardisan City- Photo by Mostafa Meraji (28)
  credit: Mostafameraji
  width: 4752
  height: 3168
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260601033640/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93Iraq_War"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-01
  label: Iran-Iraq War
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93Iraq_War"
