Editing Iran–Iraq War (section)

==Comparison of Iraqi and Iranian military strength==
{{See also|Order of battle during the Iran–Iraq War}}

Iran's [[Islamic Republic of Iran Army|regular Army]] had been purged after the [[1979 Revolution]], with most high-ranking officers either having fled the country or been executed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dolatebahar.com/view/205831/%D8%AF%D8%B1-%DA%AF%D9%81%D8%AA-%D9%88-%DA%AF%D9%88-%D8%A8%D8%A7-%D9%87%D9%88%D8%B4%D9%86%DA%AF-%D8%B5%D9%85%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%8C-%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%87-%D8%AA%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%86%DB%8C%D8%B1%D9%88%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%A7%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%B1-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%AE%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%B1-%D9%85%D8%B7%D8%B1%D8%AD-%D8%B4%D8%AF-%DA%AF%D9%84%D8%A7%DB%8C%D9%87-%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AE%D8%AF%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%AE%D9%88%D9%86%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%DA%A9%DB%8C%D9%85%DB%8C%D8%A7-|title=در گفت و گو با هوشنگ صمدی، فرمانده تکاوران نیروی دریایی مستقر در خرمشهر مطرح شد/ گلایه های ناخدای خونین شهر از کیمیا – دولت بهار|access-date=27 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603170024/http://www.dolatebahar.com/view/205831/%D8%AF%D8%B1-%DA%AF%D9%81%D8%AA-%D9%88-%DA%AF%D9%88-%D8%A8%D8%A7-%D9%87%D9%88%D8%B4%D9%86%DA%AF-%D8%B5%D9%85%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%8C-%D9%81%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AF%D9%87-%D8%AA%DA%A9%D8%A7%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%86%DB%8C%D8%B1%D9%88%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%B1%DB%8C%D8%A7%DB%8C%DB%8C-%D9%85%D8%B3%D8%AA%D9%82%D8%B1-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%AE%D8%B1%D9%85%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%B1-%D9%85%D8%B7%D8%B1%D8%AD-%D8%B4%D8%AF-%DA%AF%D9%84%D8%A7%DB%8C%D9%87-%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%AE%D8%AF%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%AE%D9%88%D9%86%DB%8C%D9%86-%D8%B4%D9%87%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%DA%A9%DB%8C%D9%85%DB%8C%D8%A7-|archive-date=3 June 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

At the beginning of the war, Iraq held a clear advantage in armour, while both nations were roughly equal in terms of artillery. The gap only widened as the war went on. Iran started with a stronger air force, but over time, the balance of power reversed in Iraq's favour (as Iraq was constantly expanding its military, while Iran was under arms sanctions). Estimates for 1980 and 1987 were:<ref>{{cite news|title=The Arming, and Disarming, of Iran's Revolution|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|edition=International|date=19 September 1987|pages=56–57}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto; text-align:center; "
|-
! Imbalance of Power (1980–1987) !! Iraq !! Iran
|-
| Tanks in 1980
| 2,700
| 1,740 (~500 operable)
|-
|  style="border-bottom:2px solid black;"|Tanks in 1987
|  style="border-bottom:2px solid black;"|4,500+
|  style="border-bottom:2px solid black;"|1,000
|-
| Fighter aircraft in 1980
| 332
| 445 (205 operable)
|-
|  style="border-bottom:2px solid black;"|Fighter aircraft in 1987
|  style="border-bottom:2px solid black;"|500+
|  style="border-bottom:2px solid black;"|65 (serviceable)
|-
| Helicopters in 1980
| 40
| 500
|-
|  style="border-bottom:2px solid black;"|Helicopters in 1987
|  style="border-bottom:2px solid black;"|150
|  style="border-bottom:2px solid black;"|60
|-
| Artillery in 1980
| 1,000
| 1,000+ (~300 operable)
|-
| Artillery in 1987
| 4,000+
| 1,000+
|}

The conflict has been compared to [[World War I]]<ref name=abrahamian08>{{cite book|last=Abrahamian|first=Ervand|title=A History of Modern Iran|year=2008|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=Cambridge, UK|isbn=978-0-521-52891-7|edition=3rd print}}</ref>{{rp|171|date=November 2012}} in terms of the tactics used, including large-scale [[trench warfare]] with [[barbed wire]] stretched across trenches, manned [[machine gun]] posts, bayonet charges, [[human wave attack]]s across a [[no man's land]], and extensive use of [[chemical weapon]]s such as [[sulfur mustard]] by the Iraqi government against Iranian troops, civilians, and [[Kurds]]. The world powers United States and the [[Soviet Union]], together with many Western and Arab countries, provided military, intelligence, economic, and political support for Iraq. On average, Iraq imported about $7 billion in weapons during every year of the war, accounting for fully 12% of global arms sales in the period.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Murray|first1=Williamson|last2=Woods|first2=Kevin M.|title=The Iran–Iraq War, A Military and Strategic History|chapter=1981–1982: Stalemate|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|year=2014|isbn=978-1107062290|pages=171–173 (e-book, page numbers approximate)}}</ref>

The value of Iraqi arms imports increased to between $12 billion and $14 billion during 1984–1987, whereas the value of Iranian arms imports fell from $14 billion in 1985 to $5.89 billion in 1986 and an estimated $6 billion to $8 billion in 1987. Iran was constrained by the price of oil during the [[1980s oil glut]] as foreign countries were largely unwilling to extend credit to Iran, but Iraq financed its continued massive military expansion by taking on vast quantities of debt that allowed it to win a number of victories against Iran near the end of the war but that left the country bankrupt.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Murray|first1=Williamson|last2=Woods|first2=Kevin M.|title=The Iran–Iraq War, A Military and Strategic History|chapter=Conclusion|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|year=2014|isbn=978-1107062290|pages=350–354 (e-book, page numbers approximate)}}</ref>

Despite its larger population, by 1988 Iran's ground forces numbered only 600,000 whereas the Iraqi army had grown to include 1 million soldiers.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Murray|first1=Williamson|last2=Woods|first2=Kevin M.|title=The Iran–Iraq War, A Military and Strategic History|chapter=1987–1988: An end in sight?|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|year=2014|isbn=978-1107062290|pages=328–330 (e-book, page numbers approximate)}}</ref>