Battle of Khorramshahr
| First Battle of Khorramshahr | |||||||||
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| Part of Iran–Iraq War — Iraqi invasion of Iran | |||||||||
 Iranian soldiers in Khorramshahr city |
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Iran
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 Iraq Front for the Liberation of Arabistan
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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Abulhassan Banisadr Cdr. Hooshang Samadi (Commander of Takavar Marine Battalion) Mohammad Jahanara (Pasdaran commander) Mohammad Reza Abbasi (Governor of Khorramshahr)
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Saddam Hussain Gen. Saad Sheetteh Gen. Kamel Sajid Col. Ahmad Zeidan
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| Units involved | |||||||||
| See #Order of battle | See #Order of battle | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
| 3,000 defenders initially 300 in the last days |
15,000–20,000 | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 7,000 dead and wounded (including civilians) Dozens of Chieftain tanks |
7,000 200 armored vehicles |
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7,000
The Battle of Khorramshahr was a major engagement between Iraq and Iran in the Iran–Iraq War. The battle took place from September 22 to November 10, 1980. Known for its brutality and violent conditions, the city came to be known by the Iranians as Khuninshahr, meaning "City of Blood".
The battle lasted for 34 days, and saw an immense investment of Iraqi forces, far beyond what Iraqi war plans envisaged. In turn, this battle enabled the Iranians to stabilize front-lines at Dezful, Ahvaz and Susangerd, and move reinforcements to Khuzestan. The city was mainly being defended by Iranian Navy Commandos (Takavaran), some units of the 92nd Armored Division, Pasdaran fighters and volunteers.
Khorramshahr was eventually recaptured during Operation Jerusalem, a turning point in the war.
Prior to the war, the city of Khorramshahr had a population of about 220,000 and had grown extensively and was home to some of the most exclusive neighbourhoods in Iran. The population was predominantly wealthy and upper class.
Following the Islamic Revolution in 1979, elements of Arab anti-government groups began plotting in the Khuzestan province in an effort to join Iraq. Between October and September 1980, the city saw several incidents of bombings and terrorism amongst the population. This period also saw frequent border violations between Iran and Iraq. In fact, these violations and episodes of violence became so frequent, some locals believed the first days of the war were the result of worsening clashes.
Finally, on September 17, Iraqi president Saddam Hussein declared the 1975 Algiers Agreement null and void, thus setting the countdown to war, which would begin a few days later.
In the defense of Khorramshahr, the Iranians prepared a series of dikes on the city outskirts. The first dike held regular soldiers and the second dike held tanks, artillery, and anti-tank weapons. The Dej garrison of the Iranian Army was responsible for much of the city’s outer defences with a single company of British-made Chieftain tanks at their disposal. The main command center was based in the "Masjed-Jameh" Grand Mosque at the centre of the city under control of the Pasdaran. Mohammad Jahanara acted as commander of the Pasdaran force in Khorramshahr. Most personnel had little more than fifteen days of training in the beginning.
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Wikipedia