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Iran Iraq War Timeline

  • Iraq invades Iran

    Iraq invades Iran at eight points on, and bombs Iranian airfields, military installations and economic targets
  • Iran retaliates

    Iran retaliates with bombing of Iraq
  • UN Security Council Resolution 479

    Iraq ready to cease fire if Iran accepts its rights over Shatt Al Arab. Tehran rejects.
  • America sends aid

    America sends Awac planes to Saudi Arabia
  • Iran’s Supreme Defence Council new Chairman

    President Bani-Sadr appointed as chairman of Iran’s Supreme Defence Council
  • Khorramshahr captured

    Iraq captures Khorramshahr
  • Period: to

    Iraq tries to gain Susangard

    Iraq fails to gain Susangard
  • Tehran merges the Basij-e Mustazafin militia

    Tehran merges the Basij-e Mustazafin militia with Revolutionary Guard Corps.
  • Period: to

    Iran's attempt Susangard area

    Iran Susangard area unsuccessful
  • Baghdad nuclear installation destroyed

    Israeli warplanes destroy a nuclear installation near Baghdad
  • Bani-Sadr dismissed

    President President Bani-Sadr dismissed by Khoneini
  • Period: to

    July-August

    A series of small attacks by Iran in areas adjoining Abadan
  • Iran regains Abadan

    Iran regains Abadan
  • New president of Iran

    Hojatalislam Ali Hussein Khamenei elected president of Iran
  • Period: to

    November-December

    Iran retakes territories around Abadan
  • Oil pipeline to Turkey

    Iraqi Kurdish guerrillas damages oil pipeline to Turkey
  • Period: to

    Iraq out of Dezful-Shush

    Iraqis expelled from the Dezful-Shush area
  • Iraq-Mediterranean pipeline shut down

    Syria shuts off pipeline carrying Iraqi oil to the Mediterranean
  • Iraq announcement

    Iraq announces they will withdraw from Iran if ending the conflict is guaranteed
  • Iran's Bait al Muqaddas offensive

    Iran stages a major offensive codenamed Bait al Muqaddas
  • End of Iran's Bait al Muqaddas offensive

    The end of Iran’s Bait al Muqaddas offensive. Iraqis back to the international borders.
  • Anti-government riot in Shia

    Anti-government riot in Shia, major cities of Iraq
  • Period: to

    Israel invades Lebanon

  • RCC: Iraq is ready for a ceasefire

    RCC: Iraq is ready for a ceasefire, but Iran rejects the offer
  • Hussein Announcement

    Hussein announces: Iraq’s voluntary withdrawal from Iran will be completed by 30 June
  • Baghdad announces evacuation of Iran

    Baghdad announces evacuation of Iran, but still holds some Iranian territory
  • Attempt to assassinate Saddam

    Failed attempt to assassinate Saddam
  • Period: to

    Iranian Basra offensive

    Iranian offensive to capture Basra failed
  • Iraq declares exclusion zone

    Iraq declares exclusion zone around Iran’s Kharg Island oil terminal in the Gulf
  • Period: to

    Iran’s attempt to capture Mandali

    Iran’s attempt to capture Mandali was unsuccessful
  • Period: to

    Iranian Musian offensives

    Iranian offensives in the Musian area
  • Supeme Assembly of Islamic Revolution in Iraq formed

    The Supeme Assembly of Islamic Revolution in Iraq formed and aimed to overthrow the Baathist regime in Baghdad
  • Period: to

    Iranian Fakeh region offensive

    limited gains in the Iranian offensive in the Fakeh region of Khuzistan to capture the Basa-Baghdad road near Amara
  • Nowruz oilfield strike

    Iraq strikes Iran’s Nowruz oilfield in the Gulf
  • Period: to

    Iran's Ein Khosh offensive

    Iran’s failed offensive in the Ein Khosh area to reach the Basra-Badhdad highway
  • Period: to

    Missiles fired at Dezful

    Iraq fires missiles at Dezful
  • Pro Moscow Tudeh Party dissolved

    Iranian government dissolves the pro Moscow Tudeh Party
  • Period: to

    Kurdistan offensive

    Iran’s offensive in Kurdistan
  • Offensive in west of Mehran

    Tehran stages offensive in west of Mehran
  • Offensive Kurdistan

    Iran mounts offensive in Kurdistan
  • Period: to

    Iraq missiles fired at Dezful

    Iraq missiles fired at Dezful-and the Iranian shelling of Basra, Khanaqin and Mandali-start a round of attacks on civilian targets. These end with a UN-mediated agreement not to attack population centres
  • Period: to

    Iran march from Dehloran to Iraq

    Iran failed attempt to march from Dehloran into Iraq
  • Tehran Khaibar offensive

    The Tehran Khaibar offensive
  • Iran retained Majnoon Islands

    Iran retained control of Iraq’s oil-rich Majnoon Islands
  • Period: to

    Islamic Majilis elections

    Elections to the second Islamic Majlis are held in Iran
  • War of cities ceasefire

    A ceasefire in the war of the cities
  • Tanker war escalates

    Iraq escalates the Tanker war
  • Iran retaliates

    Iran retaliates by hitting ships serving Saudi and Kuwait
  • UN security council condemns attacks

    UN security council condemns attacks on ships trading with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait
  • Hans Dietrich Genscher visits the Islamic Republic of Iran

    Hans Dietrich Genscher visits the Islamic Republic of Iran
  • Tehran set up tanker shuttle

    Tehran set up a tanker shuttle between Kharg and the Sirri Island oil terminal in the Lower Gulf
  • Period: to

    Iran retakes border territory

    Iran retakes part of disputed border territory lost to Iraq before the war
  • attacks in 1984

    53 Iraqi attacks on shipping in the Gulf to Iran’s 18
  • War of the cities

    Iraq’s bombing of Ahvaz and Bushahr starts another War of the Cities, with Iran firing missiles at Baghdad and shelling Iraqi border towns
  • Period: to

    Iran's offensive in the Haur al Hawizeh

    Iran mounts offensive in the Haur al Hawizeh marshes to seize the Basra-Baghdad road.
  • Saudi foriegn minister in Tehran

    Saudi foreign minister visits Tehran
  • Attempt to assassinate ruler of Kuwait

    Failed attempt to assassinate ruler of Kuwait
  • Period: to

    Kharg air strikes intensified

    Intense the effective Iraqi air strikes against Kharg
  • Khamanei president

    Khamanei re-elected as the president or Iran
  • Iran's Rawandoz area attack

    Iranian attack in the Rawandoz area in Kurdistan
  • Iran receives US missiles

    Iran receives 508 US made Tow missiles
  • 1985 year

    Iraq hit 33 ships in the Gulf and Iran hit 14 in the year
  • Period: to

    Fao peninsula offensive successful

    3 offensives by Iran. The Fao peninsula offensive was proved successful
  • Suleimaniya region offensive ended

    Iran’s offensive in the Suleimaniya region of Kurdistan ended in early March. Area near the Darbandi Khan Lake is under its control
  • UN security council condems Iraq for deploying chemical weapons

    UN security council combines its condemnation of Iraq for deploying chemical weapons with its disapproval of the prolongation of the conflict
  • Oil price falls

    Oil price falls to below $10 a barrel from $27 a barrel in December
  • Period: to

    Iraq’s failed to retake Fao

    Iraq's failed attempt to retake Fao.
  • US officers arrest

    US law enforcement officers arrest 10 of the 18 Americans, Israelis and West Europeans
  • Iran started importing oil products

    Iran starts importing refined oil products
  • Iran captures Mehran

    Iraq captures Mehran, Tehran rejects the exchange offer of Mehran for Fao
  • Iraq air stikes intensified

    Iraq intensifies its air strikes against Iran’s economic and infrastructural targets
  • Period: to

    Iran retakes Mehran

    Iran retakes Mehran
  • Period: to

    US arms delivered to Iran

    US made arms and spares delivered to Iran via Spain and Yugoslavia
  • Agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia within OPEC

    Agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia within OPEC lifts oil prices to the $14-16 a barrel range
  • Iraq's Sirri Island oil terminal air raid

    Iraq’s successful long rang air raid on Sirri Island oil terminal
  • Iraq's air sorties against Kharg

    Iraq has mounted a total of 120 air sorties against Kharg over the preceding twelve months
  • Iran's offensive in Hajj Umran of Kurdistan

    Iran’s successful limited offensive in Hajj Umran of Kurdistan
  • Pontoon bridge across Shatt al Arab

    Iran build another pontoon bridge across the Shatt al Arab. Offensive in Fao
  • Baghdad air raid on Lavan oil terminal

    Baghdad stages successful air raid on Lavan oil terminal south of Kharg
  • Iran carries raid on oil pipeline

    Iran carries a commando raid on an oil pipeline near Kirkuk
  • Iraq' strikes Larak Island oil facilities

    Iraq stages its furthest air raid yet and strikes Iran’s Larak Island oil facilities
  • Period: to

    Iran's offensive against Iraqi forces

    Iran launches major offensive against the Iraqi forces near Basra
  • year 1986 ship strikes

    During 1986 Iraq strikes 66 ships in the Gulf; Iran strikes 41
  • Iran's offensive to capture Basra

    Iran launches major offensive to capture Basra
  • Iran's offensive near Qasr-e Shirin

    Iran offensive in the central sector near Qasr-e Shirin
  • Period: to

    Iraq attacks Tehran and Iranian cities

    Iraq attacks Tehran and other Iranian cities with bombs and long-range missiles. Iran retaliates with artillery and missiles
  • Period: to

    Iran offensives in the south

    Iran mounts two more offensives in the south
  • Rafsanjani calls to withdraw support from Iraq

    Rafsanjani calls on them to withdraw support from Iraq
  • Ed of Karbala Five offensive

    Declares the end of Karbala Five offensive
  • Hussein warns against defeat through attrition

    Saddam Hussein warns against a slow defeat through attrition
  • Iran drains water barriers and mount an offensive protecting Basra

    To prevent the transfer of Iraqi troops from the south to the north the Iranians start draining water barriers protecting Basra and mount an offensive
  • Attempt to assassinate Hussein

    Failed attempt to assassinate Saddam Hussein
  • Iran captures strategic areas near Suleimaniya

    Iranians and Kurdish allies capture strategic heights near Suleimaniya
  • Iran gains grounds near Mawet and Qala Diza

    Iran gains ground near the Iraqi Kurdish towns of Mawet and Qala Diza
  • Soviet Union lease three oil tankers to Kuwait

    Soviet Union agrees to lease three of its oil tankers to Kuwait
  • Irans gains from Kurdistan offensive

    Iran scores limited gains in an offensive of Kurdistan
  • Farsi island turned into naval base

    Iranians turn Farsi Island into a naval base. Soviet freighter is hit by a mine in the Gulf
  • Iraqi missiles hit American frigate

    Two Iraqi Exocet missiles hit an American frigate in the Gulf and kill 37 crewmen
  • Iran gains territory in Kurdistan and Darbandi Khan Lake

    Iran gains more territory in Kurdistan and the hydro-electric dam on Darbandi Khan Lake
  • Islamic Republican Party dissolved

    Islamic Republican Party dissolved
  • Iraqi Kurdish guerrillas offensives in Suleimaniya province

    Iraqi Kurdish guerrillas mount a series of minor offensives in Suleimaniya province
  • UN 598 resolution

    Iraq accepts the 598 resolution on the condition that Iran does the same
  • Resolution 598 not effective

    Tehran fails to provide an unequivocal reply to Resolution 598.
  • US helicopters destroy Iran air

    US naval helicopters destroy Iran Air, allegedly caught in the act of laying mines
  • Iran Irq close down diplomatic missions

    Iran and Iraq close down their diplomatic missions
  • USA destroys Iranian patrol boats near Farsi Island

    USA destroys three Iranian patrol boats near Farsi Island after claims that the Iranian fired on a US patrol helicopter
  • Iranian missile hit US supertanker

    Iranian Silkworm missile hits an American-flagged supertanker in Kuwait
  • Iran hits Kuwait's oil terminal

    Iran hits Kuwait’s Sea Island oil terminal
  • Iran stages attacks north of Basra

    Iran stages probing attacks in the Fakeh area north of Basra
  • Year 1987 ship strikes

    During 1987, Iraq strikes 76 ships in the Gulf; Iran 87
  • Iran offensive near Mawet

    Minor offensive by Iran near Mawet in Kurdistan
  • War of cities renewed

    Iraq renews the War of the Cities. Iran responds with missiles attacks on Baghdad, Iraq hits Tehran with missiles
  • Iran offensives in Kurdistan

    Iran launches offensives in two areas in Kurdistan
  • Iran captures Halabja

    Iran captures Halabja in Kurdistan
  • Chemical bombs on Halajba

    The Iraqi air force drops chemical bombs on Halajba, killing at least 4000 people
  • Parliamentary elections in Iran

    First round of parliamentary elections held in Iran
  • Iran offensive in Panjqin area

    Iran launches an offensive in the Panjwin area of Kurdistan
  • Period: to

    Iraqis recapture the Fao peninsula

    Iraqis recapture the Fao peninsula with the use of chemical weapons
  • US warships destroy Iranian oil rigs, frigate and missile boat

    US warships blow up two Iranian oil rigs, destroy an Ianian frigate and immobilize another and sink an Iranian missile boat
  • End of war of cities

    War of cities ended by Iraq
  • Parliamentary elections in Iran

    second round of parliamentary elections in Iran
  • Period: to

    Iraq retakes Shalamche

    Iraq mounts offensives in the northern and central sectors. It retakes Shalamche using chemical weapons
  • Iran withdraw from Shalamche

    The Iranians penetrate the Shalamche area then withdraw
  • Period: to

    Iraq captures Mehran

    Iraq captures Mehran. NLA is expelled by the Iranians
  • Iraqis recapture the Majnoon Islands

    Iraqis recapture the Majnoon Islands
  • Baghdad retakes Mawet

    Baghdad retakes Mawet in Kurdistan
  • Period: to

    Iraqis regain territory in the Panjwin district

    Iraqis regain territory in the Panjwin district
  • Baghdad retakes the Iraqi territory in the Musian border region

    Baghdad retakes the Iraqi territory in the Musian border region
  • UN security council resolution 598 accepted

    Iran accepts UN security council resolution 598
  • Period: to

    Iraqis offensives in northern, central and southern sectors

    Iraqis mount offensives in the northern, central and southern sectors. Iranians soon retake the territory lost near Ahvaz
  • Iraq withdraws its demand for direct talks with Iran

    Iraq withdraws its demand for direct talks with Iran
  • Ceasefire

    A ceasefire comes into effect