The seeds of multigenerational tragedy were planted in the Iran-Iraq War. war that President Obama recently ended in Iraq was the finale in this march of folly. It was also the only war in modern times in which chemical weapons were used on a massive scale.Īlthough the war ended in 1988, it led to numerous aftershocks that rippled throughout the region including the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, the liberation of Kuwait a year later, and the U.S. The economic cost of the war exceeded one trillion dollars.1 Yet, the battle lines at the end of the war were almost exactly where they had been at the beginning of hostilities. A half million lives were lost, and perhaps another million were injured. It was one of the largest and longest conventional interstate wars since the Korean War ended in 1953. Another key lesson is to beware the advice of your allies, both Arabs and Israelis, who are prone to give irresponsible recommendations on how to deal with Tehran. The Islamic Republic of Iran is not easy to intimidate and is likely to retaliate asymmetrically. In hindsight, the central lesson of the war in the 1980s is that it is easy to start a conflict with Iran and very difficult to end it. The lessons of the first war with Iran should be carefully considered before the United States embarks hastily on a second. The United States engaged in an undeclared yet bloody naval and air war, while Iraq fought a brutal land war against Iran. During the late 1980s, President Ronald Reagan intervened in the Iran- Iraq War in support of Baghdad and Saddam Hussein, ultimately leading to an Iraqi victory. As the United States and Iran approach confrontation and possible war to halt Tehran’s nuclear program, it is useful to remember that America has already fought one war with the Islamic Republic of Iran. President Barack Obama has committed the United States to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
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