The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations Security Council Resolution 598 by both sides. Iraq's primary rationale for the attack against Iran cited the need to prevent Ruhollah Khomeini—who had spearheaded the Iranian Revolution in 1979—from exporting the new Iranian ideology to Iraq. There were also fears among the Iraqi leadership of Saddam Hussein that Iran, a theocratic state with a population predominantly composed of Shia Muslims, would exploit sectarian tensions in Iraq by rallying Iraq's Shia majority against the Baʽathist government, which was officially secular and dominated by Sunni Muslims. Iraq also wished to replace Iran as the power player in the Persian Gulf, which was not seen as an achievable objective prior to the Islamic Revolution because of Pahlavi Iran's economic and military superiority as well as its close relationships with the United States and Israel.
A meeting of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Houari Boumédiène, and Saddam Hussein (left to right) during the Algiers Agreement in 1975
Ruhollah Khomeini rose to power after the Iranian Revolution.
Iranian President Abolhassan Banisadr, who was also commander-in-chief, inspecting a Jeep-mounted 106mm recoilless anti-tank gun
Explosion in Mehrabad Air Base in Tehran after Iraqi forces attacked Tehran on 22 September 1980
The Peshmerga comprise the standing military of Kurdistan Region, an autonomous political entity within the Republic of Iraq. According to the Constitution of Iraq, the Peshmerga and their security subsidiaries are solely responsible for the security of Kurdistan Region, chiefly due to the fact that the Iraqi Armed Forces are forbidden to enter Iraqi Kurdistan. These subsidiaries include Asayish, Parastin û Zanyarî, and Zêrevanî. The Peshmerga's history dates back to the 18th century, when they began as a strictly tribal pseudo-military border guard under the Ottoman Turks and the Safavid Iranians. By the 19th century, they had evolved into a disciplined and well-trained guerrilla force.
Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighter (KDP) in 2003.
Peshmerga special unit near the Syrian border on June 23, 2014.
Peshmerga soldiers stand in formation during the Modern Brigade Course graduation ceremony.
Image: M16A2 no BG