iran-iraq war
Proper noun A major armed conflict between the nations of Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. The war began following a long history of border disputes and erupted into open warfare. It was characterized by trench warfare, the use of chemical weapons, attacks on oil tankers, and ended with a United Nations-brokered ceasefire.
The term is used to refer specifically to this historical eight-year conflict. * The Iran-Iraq War was one of the longest and most destructive conventional wars of the 20th century. * Many analysts study the economic impact of the Iran-Iraq War on the global oil market. * The Iran-Iraq War concluded without a clear victor after both sides accepted UN Security Council Resolution 598.
- "The First Gulf War": This term is sometimes used to distinguish this conflict from the 1990-1991 Gulf War (which is often called the Second Gulf War). However, "Iran-Iraq War" is the more precise and common designation.
- Historians note that the Iran-Iraq War is sometimes referred to as the First Gulf War.
- Gulf War (First): An alternative name, though less specific and potentially confusing.
- Saddam Hussein: The President of Iraq who initiated the conflict.
- UNSC Resolution 598: The United Nations Security Council resolution that established the ceasefire ending the war.
- Conflict: A general term for a serious disagreement or struggle.
- War: The general state of armed conflict between nations.
- Tanker War: Refers to the phase of the conflict where both sides attacked merchant ships and oil tankers in the Persian Gulf.
- The Tanker War phase significantly raised the stakes for international shipping.
- War of the Cities: Refers to the series of missile and air attacks launched by both nations against each other's major urban centers.
- The War of the Cities caused extensive civilian casualties and damage.
- a dispute over control of the waterway between Iraq and Iran broke out into open fighting in 1980 and continued until 1988, when they accepted a UN cease-fire resolution