ABSTRACT
The war initiated by Iraq’s invasion of Iran in September 1980 was very largely a demonstrative war, conducted by the Iraqi political leadership under the limitations imposed by such a stylized form of warfare. The intention was to impress the Iranian leaders with the quality and resolve of Iraq’s military strength in order to face them with the choice of escalation or concession. Iranian economic and civilian installations beyond the immediate battle zone were ignored, as was the considerable strength of the Iranian navy. The decision to construct a line of defences along the Iraqi border which would be impregnable to Iranian assault appears to have been made some time before it was publicly acknowledged that Iraq’s earlier war aims were redundant. The more general problem lay in the impact, or lack of impact, which it had on the determination of the Iranian regime to pursue the war.
