Active hostilities began with the iraqi invasion of iran and lasted for nearly eight years, until the acceptance of united nations security council resolution 598 by both sides. The ayatollah’s fundamentalist islamic teachings inspired the overthrow of the shah in 1979. It strained iraqi political and social life, and led to severe economic dislocations.
This brutal war, marked by unprecedented levels of destruction and loss, has had lasting implications for both nations and the broader middle eastern landscape. The war stemmed from a complex mix of historical grievances, ethnic tensions, and political upheavals, particularly following the iranian revolution of 1979, which established a theocratic government under ayatollah khomeini. It strained iraqi political and social life, and led to severe economic dislocations
Iran suffered an estimated one million deaths in a population of about 50 million At the end of the war, iraq had debts of over $80 billion.