US plan to send thousands of troops to Iran: Here's what happened when Iran last fought a ground invasion 30 years ago

The ongoing Middle East conflict entered its 20th day on Thursday, with Iran showing no signs of backing down despite pressure from the United States and Israel. Reports indicate that US President Donald Trump is planning to send soldiers to clear the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz and to restart global energy supplies. While the US is planning to send thousands of troops, the history of invasions in Iran doesn't present a very healthy picture for the US.

Iran–Iraq war in 1980s

The last time when the major war happened in Iran, the Iran–Iraq War lasted nine years and resulted in casualties exceeding 1,000,000 deaths, with Iran suffering more losses; Iraq's casualties include 50,000–100,000 Kurds.

In September 1980, Iraq advanced along a broad front into Iran’s Khuzestan, taking Iran by surprise. Iraqi troops captured Khorramshahr but failed to take the important oil-refining centre of Abadan.


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By December 1980, the Iraqi offensive had bogged down about 50–75 miles inside Iran after meeting unexpectedly strong resistance.

Infantry war and Iranian response

The zeal of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, initially tasked with safeguarding the Islamic Revolution from internal threats, proved effective. A victory by the militia in April 1981 convinced the Iranian leadership to amplify its role in combat and promote its development.

In the months ahead, Iraqi forces were compelled to give ground, and in September Iranian forces pushed the Iraqis back across the Karun River.

Iran repeatedly launched infantry attacks using human assault waves composed partly of untrained and unarmed conscripts, often young boys, which were repelled by superior Iraqi firepower and air power.

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Strikes, tanker war, and economic impact

Both nations engaged in sporadic air and missile attacks against each other’s cities and military and oil installations.

In 1984, with no end to the war in sight, both countries began attacking oil-tanker shipping in the Persian Gulf. Iran also targeted tankers headed to and from Kuwait and other Gulf states, prompting the US and several western European nations to station warships in the region. The so-called Tanker War included strikes on more than 100 oil tankers and increased international involvement.

Air strikes and pipeline shutoffs reduced the oil-exporting capacity of both nations at various times, bringing their economic development programmes to a near standstill.

Iraq’s war effort was openly financed by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and other neighbouring Arab states and was tacitly supported by the United States and the Soviet Union, while Iran’s only major allies were Syria and Libya.

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The balance shifted in 1987

By 1987, the military balance began to favour Iraq, which had raised an army of about one million and obtained advanced arms from France and the Soviet Union, including thousands of artillery pieces, tanks, armoured personnel carriers, and hundreds of combat aircraft.

This arsenal was bolstered by substantial quantities of chemical weapons, while Iraq also committed resources to develop or purchase other weapons of mass destruction, including biological and nuclear arms.

Final phase and escalation in 1988

In early 1988, Iranian forces, in cooperation with Iraqi Kurds, threatened the area from Kirkuk to the Turkish border and penetrated towns such as Hājj ʿUmrān and Ḥalabjah in Iraq’s northeastern provinces, but faced stiff resistance.

In March 1988, Iraqi forces used chemical weapons in and around Halabjah, killing as many as 5,000 Kurdish civilians.

Military operations in the Gulf resumed, and in April 1988 Iraq, again using chemical weapons, recaptured the Fāw peninsula. It later retook the districts of Salamcha and Majnūn, and in July Iraqi forces once again penetrated deep into Iran.

That same month, Iran Air Flight 655 shootdown saw a passenger plane shot down by a US missile cruiser after being mistaken for a fighter jet, killing 290 people and highlighting the war’s toll on civilians.

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Ceasefire and aftermath

War-weary Iran accepted United Nations Resolution 598 on July 17, 1988, and a ceasefire came into force on August 20, 1988.

In August 1990, while Iraq was engaged in the invasion of Kuwait, Iran and Iraq restored diplomatic relations. Iraq agreed to Iranian terms, including withdrawal from occupied Iranian territory, division of sovereignty over the Shaṭṭ al-ʿArab, and a prisoner-of-war exchange.

The final exchange of prisoners was completed in March 2003.

Strategy shaped by past war

Iran, for years, planned to repel an attack by a larger and more resourceful adversary like the United States by investing in cheap drones and missiles to sustain a long, drawn-out war.

Current situation remains tense

With no signs of de-escalation, tensions around the Strait of Hormuz remain high as the conflict continues.