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Iran
Internationalization of the War
Beginning in 1984, Baghdad's military goal changed from controlling
Iranian territory to denying Tehran any major gain inside Iraq.
Furthermore, Iraq tried to force Iran to the negotiating table
by various means. First, President Saddam Husayn sought to increase
the war's manpower and economic cost to Iran. For this purpose,
Iraq purchased new weapons, mainly from the Soviet Union and France.
Iraq also completed the construction of what came to be known
as "killing zones" (which consisted primarily of artificially
flooded areas near Basra) to stop Iranian units. In addition,
according to Jane's Defence Weekly and other sources,
Baghdad used chemical weapons against Iranian troop concentrations
and launched attacks on many economic centers. Despite Iraqi determination
to halt further Iranian progress, Iranian units in March 1984
captured parts of the Majnun Islands, whose oil fields had economic
as well as strategic value.
Second, Iraq turned to diplomatic and political means. In April
1984, Saddam Husayn proposed to meet Khomeini personally in a
neutral location to discuss peace negotiations. But Tehran rejected
this offer and restated its refusal to negotiate with President
Husayn.
Third, Iraq sought to involve the superpowers as a means of ending
the war. The Iraqis believed this objective could be achieved
by attacking Iranian shipping. Initially, Baghdad used borrowed
French Super Etendard aircraft armed with Exocets. In 1984 Iraq
returned these airplanes to France and purchased approximately
thirty Mirage F-1 fighters equipped with Exocet missiles. Iraq
launched a new series of attacks on shipping on February 1, 1984
(see The Tanker War , this ch.)
Data as of December 1987
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