Iran–Iraq War | |||||||||
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Part of the | |||||||||
Participation of child soldiers on Iranian front (top left); Bodies of Iranian civilians killed in the Iraqi invasion (top right); Port quarter view of USS Stark listing to port after being mistakenly struck by an Iraqi warplane (middle left); Pro-Iraq PMOI forces killed in Operation Mersad (middle right); Iraqi prisoners of war after the re-capture of Khorramshahr by Iranians (below left); ZU-23-2 being used by the Iranian Army (below right). |
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Belligerents | |||||||||
Support:
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Support:
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
Ruhollah Khomeini Others:
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Saddam Hussein Others:
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Units involved | |||||||||
Arabs of Khuzestan |
National Liberation Army of Iran | ||||||||
Strength | |||||||||
At the onset of the war: 110,000–150,000 soldiers, 1,700–2,100 tanks, (500 operable) 1,000 armoured vehicles, 300 operable artillery pieces, 485 fighter-bombers (~100 operable), 750 helicopters After Iraq withdrew from Iran in 1982: 350,000 soldiers, 700 tanks, 2,700 armoured vehicles, 400 artillery pieces, 350 aircraft, 700 helicopters early 1988: 600,000 soldiers, 1,000 operable tanks, 800 armoured vehicles, 600 heavy artillery pieces, 60–80 fighter-bombers, 70–90 helicopters |
At the onset of the war: 200,000 soldiers, 2,800 tanks, 4,000 APCs, 1,400 artillery pieces, 380 fighter-bombers, 350 helicopters After Iraq withdrew from Iran in 1982: 175,000 soldiers, 1,200 tanks, 2,300 armoured vehicles, 400 artillery pieces, 450 aircraft, 180 helicopters At the end of the war: 1,500,000 soldiers, ~5,000 tanks, 8,500–10,000 APCs, 6,000–12,000 artillery pieces, 900 fighter-bombers, 1,000 helicopters |
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Casualties and losses | |||||||||
123,220–160,000 KIA and 60,711 MIA (Iranian claim) |
105,000–375,000 killed |
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100,000+ civilians killed on both sides |
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¹ The exact number of Iraqi Shia that fought alongside Iran is unknown. The Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq and Islamic Dawa Party supported Iran during the war. Iran would sometimes organise divisions of Iraqi POWs to fight against Iraq. |
Stalemate