September 22, 1980 · Khuzestan / Shatt al-Arab Theater
September 22, 1980
Saddam Hussein launches a full-scale invasion of Iran's oil-rich Khuzestan province, expecting the revolution-weakened Iranian military to collapse within weeks. Iraqi forces advance on multiple axes, capturing parts of Khorramshahr and besieging Abadan. But Iranian resistance stiffens far beyond Iraqi expectations. Revolutionary Guards and regular army units, despite purges that had hollowed out the officer corps, fight tenaciously in urban areas. The expected quick victory does not come.
Commanders