Introduction:

Iran might be Iraq’s largest trading partner currently but their relations were not always this
great. At the moment they might close allies fighting against ISIS, and the proximity is mainly
due to the mutual Shi’ite governance, but they have had a sour past. Iraq and Iran had an age-old
conflict that took roots based on territorial, resource and political reasons. The war of 1980-88
was fought based on the same reason.

The relations between the two countries fall between the two major theories of International
relations; Realism and Liberalism. The states seek power, according to The Realism Theory.
Realists seek it as using the change of power to strike for regional hegemony. Both Iran and Iraq
wanted the Shatt-al-Arab river where different oil fields were located, to strengthen their power
to avoid annihilation. Realism originates from the never-ending unpeaceful interactions between
human beings and it concentrates on war and conflicts thus the war of 1980-88 between the two
countries. Realists say that states always perform on self-interest which has been evident in both
the countries, when their interest sought war they were pinned against eachother and when it
sought cooperation they became the closest of allies.

However in the recent times the relationship between the two states took up a more liberalistic
approach. Liberalism believes in cooperation rather than independently working, the alliance
against ISIS is an example of this. It believes in sharing power and mutual interests. Iran and Iraq
not only share the interest of war against ISIS but also the fact that both have Shi’ite
governments.

History:
Iran-Iraq shares a very deep cultural, religious, territorial and political history, Iraq was once a
part of Persian Sassanid Empire and was very important and strategic region for Sassanid
monarchs of Great Persia (or Iran). Both countries came under the rule of Rashidun Caliphate
after the fall of the Sassanid Empire in year 637 AD. Afterwards, both countries remained part of
different Islamic Caliphates. Iran later came under different dynasties, all those Kingdoms and
Empires saw Iraqi region as an important region for their economic and regional progress,
especially the Safavid Empire which had made pacts with Ottoman Empire to use the Iraqi
territory for the purpose of trade. Later Iran under the Imperial Kingdom, they made close ties
with Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq due to religious and social basis and made military and
economic pacts with Iraq due to siding with the United States in the Cold War Era against the
threat of Communism in the region from the parties that were backed-by USSR. Relations
between both countries were affected badly after the 1958 July Revolution and dissolution of
Baghdad Pact. Both countries remained hostile until 1979 due to differences of
Communist/Capitalist blocks, this hostility was changed into a full-fledged war after the Iranian
Kingdom was overthrown by Shia Islamists under the leadership of spiritual Islamist leader
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and the Republic of Iraq came under the administration Sunni-
Arab Socialist leader of the Baathist Revolutionary Party of Iraqi region known as “Saddam
Hussein al-Tikriti” on the basis of Shia-Sunni split and Arab-Persian historic divisions. This war
remained for eight years from 1980-1988 until the United Nations intervened between them.
Diplomatic relations were restored at the beginning of the 1990s but still, the relations were not
satisfying until the US with allies attacked Iraq in 2003 and overthrown the thirty-year long-
ruling government of Saddam Hussein and his Baathist Party there. After the US re-established
the New Iraqi Government, different parties participated in elections of 2005 in which Pro-
Iranian Dawa Party leads in making a strong position in the transitional government of Iraq.
Afterwards, presidents of both countries paid visits to each other countries and the ties between
both of them were strengthen on basis of same religious and political factors which are not very
much changed till now. Iraq also appreciated and supported the Iranian Nuclear Program,
because they saw this program as a legitimate way to maintain stability in the region.

Implementation of Theories of I.R:

In the past, the terminologies of both liberalism and realism can be implemented because at the
times of Ottoman Rule over Iraq, the Persian Safavid Kingdom over Iranian lands were allowed
to use the lands of Ottoman Iraq without any taxes and political prohibitions for the purpose of
trade and diplomacy, which was best and rare example of liberalism at that time in the Middle
East. Due to eras of the Hashemite Kingdom in Iraq and the Pehlevi Kingdom in Iran, the terms
of neo-realism can be applied because both states aligned themselves in US-leaded Baghdad Pact
against the influence of Soviet-backed Communist and Socialist possible threats in the Middle
East at that time. Both states started working on policies of defensive realism when the Iraqi
Kingdom was toppled-up by Socialists and diplomatic ties were affected. After Saddam Hussein
took power in Iraq and Ayatollah Khomeini overthrew the Imperial Iranian Kingdom, the Iraqi
government worked on the agenda of offensive realism by attacking Iran and having
expansionist tendencies in region having ambitions to annex Iranian province of Khuzestan,
while Iran was implementing both offensive and defensive realism by protecting their
sovereignty at that time and having a goal to bring down Baathist government in Iraq through
capturing Baghdad and Basra in which later they were both failed.

Relations after 2011 to present:

Iran and Iraq reduced their hostilities and cooperation between these two countries were
strengthen as the NATO forces left Iraq in 2011. As the US and her allies left the country, civil
war broke out and ISIS (currently known ISIL) rose up and occupied almost half of the Iraqi
region, also the Kurdish nationalists demanded the separation of their territory. Shia
fundamentalists formed Popular Mobilization Unit (PMU) of which goals and objectives are
same as the Hezbollah in Lebanon. The leadership of PMU directly reports to Iranian Supreme
Leader Ali Khamenei, the parties in Iraq which are currently leading in Iraqi Parliament have
pro-Iranian tendencies. As the Sunni Monarchies in the Middle East had given their opinion that
Iran is establishing a “Shia Crescent” in the region by influencing the Shia population across
Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait and especially in Saudi Arabia to gain political supremacy through
gaining success in Iraq politically and strategically. As Iranian influence had already been
increased in Syria and Lebanon, the Iraqi government had already shifted their focus towards
Iran. Iraq also see Iran as an important economic, political and strategic neighbour and partner
because Iran and Iraq have the same goal to curb down the Kurdish nationalist tendency not only
in Iran and Iraq but also in Syria. Iran played an important role in taking back the occupied
regions of Iraq from Islamic State of Iraq and Levant’s so-called Caliphate. Iran also helped the
Iraqi government to control the situation and helped them in securing different territories during
the civil war in Iraq. The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps or IRGC are playing a major role in
maintaining the order in the areas of Iraq that borders Iranian territory, material support was also
given to the Iraqi military on many occasions. US Government and their assistance forces’
leadership in Iraq also mentioned that Iranian influence in the country can boost up the Shia
fundamentalist parties to bring revolution in the country, which seems to be very alarming not
only for the US but also for the sectarian Wahabi opponent of Iran ‘Saudi Arabia’.
Iran and Iraq share a very positive diplomatic relation not only after 2011 but also in 2009 and in
2010. Both countries appreciated each other’s diplomatic affairs on different platforms on a
Global level. Both countries worked on eliminating the remnants of the pro-Baathist Iranian
movement known as Mujahideen e Khalq Organization, and are trying to resolve the Kurdish
separatist problem not only through the means of the military but also through diplomacy. Iraq
often supports the view and decision being made on an international level. Iraq also condemns
the diplomatic crisis between Iran and USA that were engineered by the Trump administration.
An Iranian parliamentarian Amir Abdollahian made a statement in September 2018 that the US
should not affect the Iran and Iraq relations, Iran is helping Iraq to eliminate terrorism and to
eliminate the problems that Iraqi government is facing during the process of rebuilding the entire
country.

Both countries have signed several pacts in the sectors of electricity, gas, trade and in various
other things. Iran is working to establish a long pipeline which will not only gas to Iraq from
Iran but also to Syria and Lebanon. Iranian parliamentarians also mentioned that Khuzestan
province of Iran should be a free market zone for Iraqi traders. Iranian government are also
spending millions of dollars to establish an infrastructure of grid stations for electricity in
different regions of Iraq. All these efforts to rebuild the Iraqi Republic gives us a point that Iran
sees Iraq as an important cultural, strategic and economic partner in politics not only in the
Middle East but in the whole world.

Implementation of Theories of I.R:

As a whole, Iran is looking after its own interests in Iraq by supporting Pro-Iranian parties there
to bring balance-of-power in the Middle East to bring down Saudi hegemony in the region, the
current cooperation between Iraq and Iran gives examples of terminologies of International
Relations because both countries signed strategic pacts on the basis of Neo-Realism to tackle the
political and security threats from Kurdistan secessionist movement and ISIS’s and other
extremist movements. The theory Liberalism also implements in it because Iran and Iraq are
currently cooperating with each other in trade, educational and in other economic sectors to bring
more people to people relations with each other.
The Iran-Iraq war rooted in a realism explanation:

Realism argues that the Iran-Iraq war was a military war. A large number of soldiers and all
kinds of weapons like aircraft were used in the war to attain interests. In Iraq-Iraq war both the
countries were head to head in the completion of making their opponent country lose the war.
For instance, on the very first day of the war, the Iraqi Airforce assigned the fighter aircraft
MiG21s to bomb the air bases of Iran in various cities like Tappen. Similarly, in response to that,
Iran launched ‘Operation Scotch’ to damage the nuclear reactor near Baghdad.

Before the war, Saddam planned to position Iraq to a regional power and the goal had to be any
means achieved. As Iran-Iraq are two sovereign states both states adopted a policy of total war,
trying to mobilize the entire population to war.

During the war, Iraq went 40-75% GDP on the military. Likewise Iran also had to establish the
Reconstruction Campaign.

One major reason explaining the conflicts between the IRAN-IRAQ war is the territorial dispute
of Shatt-al-Arab(the river that forms the basic boundary between Iran and Iraq) and contains
different tributaries which are full of oil fields-like Karun in Khuzestan(one of the major
petroleum-producing regions in Iran).

END OF WAR:

The war ended up with the no-win situation as their powers remain balanced after the fact that
no one prevails. Realism, however, remains unable to explain why some countries would
voluntarily choose sacrifice.

Iran-Iraq War 1980-88:

Date:

22 September 1980 to 20 August 1988

Belligerents:

 Iran
 Kurdistan Democratic Party(KDP)
 Patriotic Union of Kurdistan(PUK)
  Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq(ISCI)
 Iraq
 People’s Mojahedin Organization (PMOI)
 Democratic Revolutionary Front for the Liberation of Arabistan(DRFLA)
 Sudan

List of Battles:

1.Al-Anfal Campaign

2.Siege of Abadan

3.Battle of Dezful

4.Battle of Khorramshahr

5.Battle of Mehran

6.Battle of Marshes

7.First Battle of Al-Faw

8.Halabja poison gas attack

9.Kurdish Rebellion of 1983

10.Liberation of Khorramshahr

11.Operation Badr

12.Operation Before the Dawn

13.Operation Dawn

14.Operation Dawn 2

15.Operation dawn 3

16.Operation Dawn 6

17.Operation Dawn 8
18.Operation Dawn 5

19.Operation Dawn 4

20.Operation Earnest Will

21.Operation Beit ol- Moqaddas

22.Operation Tariq al-Qods

23.Operation Kaman 99

24.Operation Karbala 10

25.Operation Karbala 4

26.Operation Karbala 5

27.Operation Karbala 6

28.Operation Kheibar

29.Operation Mersad

30.Operation Morvarid

31.Operation Nasr 4

32.Operation Nimble Archer

33.Operation Praying Mantis

34.Operation Prime Chance

35.Operation Ramadan

36.Operation Samen-ol-A’emeh

37..Operation Undeniable Victory

38.Operation Zafar 7

39.Second Battle of Al-Faw

40.USS Stark incident

Casualties And Losses:

Iran suffered 6000,000 dead, with wounded estimated at 800,000. Iraq lost 400,000 dead.
Wounded are difficult to estimate but the government’s ban on information about them suggests
that they were considerable.: 

Military Implications of the War

In March 1988 the Iraqi air force bombarded the Kurdish town of Halabja, killing 3000-5000
people, which has been the biggest chemical attack on a civilian target in Middle Eastern history
so far. 
the active use of long-range missiles by Iraq in February 1988, contributed significantly to the
Iranian surrender and ushered the Middle East into a ballistic era, affecting not only the Gulf but
also the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Regional Implications of the War

The war shifted the world’s attention in the Middle East from the Arab-Israeli conflict to the
Gulf region. the Iran-Iraq war contributed indirectly to Israel’s security. The war dismantled the
axis of radical Arab countries that included Iraq, Libya, Syria and south Yemen. In the Gulf
region, war reiterated the extreme vulnerability of all the Arab Gulf countries. Therefore, the war
hastened a process of increasing interstate cooperation, mostly within the Gulf Cooperation
Council. Under the direct threat from Iran and the potential future threat from Saddam.

The Implications for the US, USSR and China

The USSR supplied arms to both sides that paid with oil on a barter basis. The USSR supplied
much more arms, of all varieties, to Iraq, both directly and indirectly through its satellite states in
Eastern Europe.
For the first time, China became a major provider of arms in a Middle Eastern armed conflict,
selling almost equal amounts to Iran and Iraq. It is probably during the war that China became
dependent on the Gulf, and especially Iranian, oil. Having access to free oil allowed China to
complete its economic and political transformation successfully.
At the beginning of the war, none of the belligerents was an American ally and the only allies the
US had in the region were the Gulf countries. Therefore, American interests in the area were
primarily the protection of oil exports by the Gulf countries and addressing those countries
security concerned.
my analysis of the implications points that the war was more an agent of change than a
continuation of the old order. This change still is a characteristic of contemporary reality in the
Middle East.

Conclusion:

The two countries have had several ups and downs in their relationship over the years. They
have went from the worst enemies, fighting atrocious wars against each other, to the best of
friends, helping each other grow out of the damage which the west has caused them. It is
predicted that the relationship will continue to flourish in a positive way.

Their friendship originally showcased realist attributes, like self interests and greed for power
and land, hegemony etc. However, as the time changed, a more liberalist approach was adopted
by the two countries based on cooperation and mutual interests.
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