Iranian involvement in the Iraq War
Background
Iran–United States relations
During a meeting with British Foreign Secretary
Months later, in his
Several claims have been made that the US has violated Iranian territorial sovereignty through the use of drones since 2003.[12][13]
Iran–Iraq relations
In September 1980, Iraq under Saddam Hussein launched an invasion of Iran in an unsuccessful attempt to annex oil-rich Iranian territory,[14][15]: 261 marking the beginning of a war that would last until 1988.[16] The Iran–Iraq War is regarded as being a major trigger for rising sectarianism in the region, as it was viewed by many as a clash between Sunni Muslims (Ba'athist Iraq and other Arab States)[17][18][19] and the Shia revolutionaries that had taken power in Iran.[20]
In a declassified 1991 report, the CIA estimated that Iran had suffered more than 50,000 casualties from Iraq's use of several chemical weapons,[21] though modern estimates have reached more than 100,000, as the long-term effects continued to cause casualties;[22][23] they also show that the United States was providing reconnaissance intelligence to Iraq around 1987–88, which was then used to launch chemical weapon attacks on Iranian troops, and that the CIA fully knew that chemical weapons would be deployed and sarin and cyclosarin attacks followed.[24] According to Iraqi documents, assistance in developing chemical weapons was obtained from firms in many countries, including the United States.[25]
In January 2002, one year before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, bilateral relations between Iran and Iraq improved significantly when an Iranian delegation, led by Amir Hussein Zamani, visited Iraq for final negotiations to resolve the conflict through talks on issues of prisoners of war and those who went missing in action during the Iran–Iraq War.[26]
Role during the insurgency
In the aftermath of the
According to two unnamed US officials,
In 2007, tensions increased greatly between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan due to the latter's giving sanctuary to the militant Kurdish secessionist group Party for a Free Life in Kurdistan (PEJAK). According to reports, Iran had been shelling PEJAK positions in Iraqi Kurdistan since 16 August. These tensions further increased with an alleged border incursion on 23 August by Iranian troops who attacked several Kurdish villages killing an unknown number of civilians and militants.[36]
Covert Iranian military involvement
An estimated 150 Iranian intelligence officers, plus members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, are believed to be active inside Iraq at any given time. For more than a year, U.S. troops have detained and recorded fingerprints, photographs, and DNA samples from dozens of suspected Iranian agents in a catch and release program designed to intimidate the Iranian leadership.[37]
Coalition forces also
See also
- Iran–PJAK conflict
- Iranian intervention in Iraq (2014–present)
- Iranian intervention in the Syrian civil war
- United States conflict with Iran-backed militias (2023–present)
References
- New York Times. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
- ^ President's Address to the Nation, The White House, January 10, 2007. Retrieved February 1, 2007.
- ^ "Operations By Iran's Military Mastermind – Business Insider". Business Insider. 9 July 2014.
- ^ "Iranian Strategy in Iraq: Politics and 'Other Means'" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
- ^ P.I.R.I News Headlines (Tue 80/07/03 A.H.S). The Official Site of the Office of the President of Iran. Official website of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. 25 September 2001. Permanent Archived Link. Original page and URL are not available online now. (Website's Homepage at that time (Title: Presidency of The Islamic Republic of Iran, The Official Site))
- ^ Corera, Gordon (September 25, 2006). "Iran's gulf of misunderstanding with US". BBC News. Archived from the original on April 4, 2016.
- ^ Iran mourns America's dead Time
- ^ "34 Years of Getting to No with Iran". Politico. Barbara Slavin. November 19, 2013. Permanent Archived Link. Permanent Archived Link at WebCite. Retrieved and archived on July 4, 2016.
- ^ ISSN 0026-3141.
- ^ "Iran helped overthrow Taliban, candidate says". usatoday30.usatoday.com.
- ^ "Iran And The Axis Of Evil – Analysis – The Long Reach Of A Speech | Terror And Tehran | FRONTLINE | PBS". www.pbs.org. Retrieved 2023-12-25.
- ^ U.S. Uses Drones to Probe Iran For Arms, February 13, 2005, The Washington Post
- ^ Iran Protests U.S. Aerial Drones, November 8, 2005, The Washington Post
- ISBN 978-0-19-005022-1.
- ISBN 0-7475-0260-9.
- ^ Dodds, Joanna; Wilson, Ben (6 June 2009). "The Iran–Iraq War: Unattainable Objectives". Middle East Review of International Affairs. 13 (2). Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
- ^ Review, Catholic (2012-01-19). "Iraqi Christians were safer under Saddam". Archdiocese of Baltimore. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
- ^ "Iraqi Christians want a stronger state and weaker militias – opinion". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 24 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
- ^ "Iraqi Christians' long history". BBC News. 2010-11-01. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
- ^ Faily, Lukman. "Reflecting on the Iran–Iraq War, Thirty Years Later". Archived from the original on 2018-10-31.
- ISBN 978-1-59420-111-0.
- ISBN 978-0813011776.
- ISBN 978-8189940638.
- ForeignPolicy.com. Archivedfrom the original on 26 August 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
- ^ "Iraqi Scientist Reports on German, Other Help for Iraq Chemical Weapons Program". Federation of American Scientists. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
- ^ "Iranian Delegation in Iraq for Talks on POWs, MIAs". People's Daily Online. 9 January 2002. Archived from the original on 12 November 2013.
- ^ "The Evolution of Iran's Special Groups in Iraq". November 2010.
- ^ Mazzetti, Mark (19 October 2008). "Documents Say Iran Aids Militias From Iraq". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 December 2008. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
- ^ "Combating Terrorism Center". Ctc.usma.edu. Archived from the original on 6 February 2010. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
- ^ Dafna Linzer – Troops Authorized to Kill Iranian Operatives in Iraq Archived 12 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine – The Washington Post
- ^ Mazzetti, Mark (19 October 2008). "Documents Say Iran Aids Militias From Iraq". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 December 2008. Retrieved 27 March 2010.
- ^ "Combating Terrorism Center". Ctc.usma.edu. Archived from the original on 6 February 2010. Retrieved 26 March 2010.
- ^ "Al-Maliki: Iraq won't be battleground for U.S., Iran". CNN. 31 January 2007. Archived from the original on 2 February 2007. Retrieved 31 January 2007.
- ^ "Iran involvement suspected in Karbala compound attack". CNN. 31 January 2007. Retrieved 31 January 2007.
- ^ Baer, Robert (30 January 2007). "Are the Iranians Out for Revenge?". Time. Archived from the original on 2 February 2007. Retrieved 31 January 2007.
- ^ Collins, Chris; Yaseen Taha (23 August 2007). "Iranians attack Kurdish rebels in Iraq". McClatchy Washington Bureau. Archived from the original on 3 July 2009.
- ^ Dafna Linzer – Troops Authorized to Kill Iranian Operatives in Iraq Archived 12 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine – The Washington Post
- ^ "US general says Iran helping stop Iraq bloodshed". Agence France-Presse. 21 November 2007. Archived from the original on 27 May 2013.