Iraqi chemical attacks against Iran

Common card · No. 336480

During the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988), Iraq engaged in chemical warfare against Iran on multiple occasions, including more than 30 targeted attacks on Iranian civilians. Originally using mustard gas alone, in 1984 Iraq initiated the first verified combat use of nerve agents in history, beginning with tabun before moving to sarin. The Iraqi chemical weapons program, which had been active since the 1970s, was aimed at regulated offensive use, as evidenced in the chemical attacks against Iraqi Kurds as part of the Anfal campaign in the late 1980s. The 1988 Halabja massacre in Iraqi Kurdistan, which killed at least 3,200 people, is considered one of the worst attacks of the war. The Iraqis had also utilized chemical weapons against Iranian hospitals and medical centres. According to a 2002 article in the American newspaper The Star-Ledger, 20,000 Iranian soldiers and combat medics were killed on the spot by nerve agents. As of 2002, 5,000 of the 80,000 survivors continue to seek regular medical...

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