ABSTRACT
When Iraq invaded Iran in September 1980 Saddam Hussein probably had a double motive. First, to deal a pre-emptive blow to the new Islamic Republic of Iran; because Iraq was a state with a secular ideology and a large population of Shi'ites, Hussein expected it to be top of the Iranian list for exporting the revolution. Second, to gain more power. Saddam was responsible for starting the war but Ayatollah Khomeini kept it going. Iran's Supreme Leader turned down successive cease-fire proposals and offers of negotiations. Once the initial offensive had been held back, his objective was not defensive and aimed for the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. By the end of 1987 Iran's forces were seriously depleted while Iraq had been able to re-equip and its army had shown new levels of effectiveness. Further offensives in 1988 took the war back onto Iranian territory and Iraqi missile attacks on Tehran caused 30 percent of the city's population to flee.
