Supporting the Iran—Iraq Cease-fire (1988– )

Abstract

The war which broke out in 1980 between Iran and Iraq seemed, on the face of it, tailor-made for strong UN calls for its cessation, followed by a tidying-up peacekeeping operation. To outsiders, hugely important issues did not seem to be at stake. Fighting was going on in a sensitive area, and threatened to — and later did — spill over into an even more sensitive one. The two combatants were non-aligned, and neither superpower was closely linked with either of them. Losses were considerable. And a decisive military outcome seemed unlikely. However, it was not until 1987 that the Security Council got around to demanding a cease-fire, and a further year was to go by before Iran — originally the injured party but latterly the more stubborn one — decided that the going was getting too tough.