Editing Iran–Iraq War (section)

===1985–86 Iraqi offensives===
By 1985, Iraqi armed forces were receiving financial support from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and other Persian Gulf states, and were making substantial arms purchases from the Soviet Union, China, and France. For the first time since early 1980, Saddam launched new offensives.

On 6 January 1986, the Iraqis launched an offensive attempting to retake Majnoon Island. They were quickly bogged down into a stalemate against 200,000 Iranian infantrymen, reinforced by amphibious divisions.<ref name=aboulenein12_dawn3>{{cite journal|url=http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/the-%22dawn-of-victory%22-campaigns-to-the-%22final-push%22-part-three-of-three|title=The 'Dawn of Victory' campaigns to the 'Final Push': Part Three of Three|first1=Youssef|last1=Aboul-Enein|first2=Andrew|last2=Bertrand|first3=Dorothy|last3=Corley|date=23 April 2012|journal=Small Wars Journal|publisher=Small Wars Foundation}}{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> However, they managed to gain a foothold in the southern part of the island.<ref name=cordesman90 />

Iraq also carried out another ''war of the cities'' between 12 and 14 March, hitting up to 158 targets in over 30 towns and cities, including Tehran. Iran responded by launching 14 Scud missiles for the first time, purchased from [[Libya]]. More Iraqi air attacks were carried out in August, resulting in hundreds of additional civilian casualties. Iraqi attacks against both Iranian and neutral oil tankers in Iranian waters continued, with Iraq carrying out 150 airstrikes using French-bought [[Super Etendard]] and Mirage F-1 jets as well as Super Frelon helicopters, armed with [[Exocet]] missiles.<ref name="Cordesman VII">{{cite web|last=Cordesman|first=Anthony|title=The Lessons of Modern War Vol II|date=May 1990|url=https://www.csis.org/analysis/lessons-modern-war-volume-ii-iran-iraq-war-–-chapter-7-phase-four-stalemate-and-war|access-date=10 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705010234/https://csis.org/publication/lessons-modern-war-volume-ii-iran-iraq-war-%E2%80%93-chapter-7-phase-four-stalemate-and-war-attr|archive-date=5 July 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Operation Badr====

[[File:Wafiq Al-Samarrai.JPG|thumb|Iraqi commanders discussing strategies on the battlefront, 1986]]

The Iraqis attacked again on 28 January 1985; they were defeated, and the Iranians retaliated on 11 March with a major offensive directed against the Baghdad-Basra highway (one of the year's few major offensives), codenamed [[Operation Badr (1985)|Operation Badr]] after the [[Battle of Badr]], Muhammad's first military victory in Mecca.<ref name=efraimkarsh /><ref name=wright89>{{cite book|last=Wright|first=Robin|title=In the name of God: The Khomeini decade|year=1989|publisher=Simon and Schuster|location=New York|isbn=978-0-671-67235-5|pages=[https://archive.org/details/innameofgodkhome00wrig/page/126 126, 133]|url=https://archive.org/details/innameofgodkhome00wrig/page/126}}</ref> Ayatollah Khomeini urged Iranians on, declaring:

<blockquote>It is our belief that Saddam wishes to return Islam to blasphemy and polytheism...if America becomes victorious...and grants victory to Saddam, Islam will receive such a blow that it will not be able to raise its head for a long time...The issue is one of Islam versus blasphemy, and not of Iran versus Iraq.<ref>A speech on 4 April 1985 by Ruhollah Khomeini in Persian quoted in {{cite book|last=Brumberg|first=Daniel|title=Reinventing Khomeini: The Struggle for Reform in Iran|year=2001|publisher=University of Chicago Press|location=Chicago|isbn=978-0-226-07758-1|pages=132–134}}</ref></blockquote>

This operation was similar to Operation Kheibar, though it invoked more planning. Iran used 100,000 men, with 60,000 more in reserve. They assessed the marshy terrain, plotted points where they could land tanks, and constructed pontoon bridges across the marshes. The Basij forces were also equipped with [[anti-tank weapons]].<ref name="aboulenein12_dawn3" />

The ferocity of the Iranian offensive broke through the Iraqi lines. The Revolutionary Guard, with the support of tanks and artillery, broke through north of Qurna on 14 March. That same night 3,000 Iranians reached and crossed the [[Tigris River]] using pontoon bridges and captured part of the [[Highway 6 (Iraq)|Baghdad–Basra Highway 6]], which they had failed to achieve in Operations Dawn 5 and 6.<ref name="Farrokh 03" />

Saddam responded by launching chemical attacks against the Iranian positions along the highway and by initiating the aforementioned second ''war of the cities'', with an air and missile campaign against twenty to thirty Iranian population centres, including Tehran.<ref name=efraimkarsh /> Under [[Sultan Hashim Ahmad al-Tai|General Sultan Hashim Ahmad al-Tai]] and [[General Jamal Zanoun]] (both considered to be among Iraq's most skilled commanders), the Iraqis launched air attacks against the Iranian positions and pinned them down. They then launched a pincer attack using mechanised infantry and heavy artillery.<ref name="Farrokh 03" /> Chemical weapons were used, and the Iraqis also flooded Iranian trenches with specially constructed pipes delivering water from the Tigris.

The Iranians retreated back to the [[Hoveyzeh]] marshes while being attacked by helicopters,<ref name="Farrokh 03" /> and the highway was recaptured by the Iraqis. Operation Badr resulted in 10,000–12,000 Iraqi casualties and 15,000 Iranian ones.<ref name=efraimkarsh />