However, by this time Iran managed to procure spare parts from various sources, helping them to restore some weapons. During the war, Iraq was regarded by the West and the Soviet Union as a counterbalance to post-revolutionary Iran. [75] The Iranian Basij then launched "human wave" attacks, consisting of 1,000 fighters per wave. somewhat less complex. Within a few weeks, Tehran opened another front in the shallow lakes of the Hawizah Marshes, just east of Al Qurnah, in Iraq, near the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Iraq used Tu-22 Blinder and Tu-16 Badger strategic bombers to carry out long-range high-speed raids on Iranian cities, including Tehran. Iraq's three main suppliers of weaponry during the war were the Soviet Union followed by China and then France. During the Iran–Iraq War, both Iran and Iraq received large quantities of weapons and other material useful to the development of armaments and weapons of mass destruction. document.getElementsByTagName("head")[0].appendChild(script); [75][78]:44, The Battle of the Marshes saw an Iraqi defence that had been under continuous strain since 15 February; they were relieved by their use of chemical weapons and defence-in-depth, where they layered defensive lines: even if the Iranians broke through the first line, they were usually unable to break through the second due to exhaustion and heavy losses. [141] Iran began to rely on its new Revolutionary Guard's navy, which used Boghammar speedboats fitted with rocket launchers and heavy machine guns. [140], The Iranian Navy imposed a naval blockade of Iraq, using its British-built frigates to stop and inspect any ships thought to be trading with Iraq. "[239]:156 Policy consultant and author Joseph Tragert stated, "Iran did not retaliate with chemical weapons, probably because it did not possess any at the time". [https://www.webcitation.org/5flvP0UgC?url=http://www.overcast.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/print/spidersweb/teicher.htm Plain text version", "US and British Support for Hussein Regime", "Can Saddam Be Contained? During the Iran–Iraq War, both Iran and Iraq received large quantities of weapons and other material useful to the development of armaments and weapons of mass destruction. Sold 12 F-4 Phantom IIs as well as spare parts, artilleries such as KH-179, and other heavy weapons. [75][139], On the night of 10–11 February 1986, the Iranians launched Operation Dawn 8,[154] in which 30,000 troops comprising five Army divisions and men from the Revolutionary Guard and Basij advanced in a two-pronged offensive to capture the al-Faw peninsula in southern Iraq, the only area touching the Persian Gulf. The marshes negated Iraqi advantage in armor, and absorbed artillery rounds and bombs. Sales of high-tech military equipment. [80], Despite the war, Iran and Iraq maintained diplomatic relations and embassies in each other's countries until mid-1987. Within 48 hours, all of the Iranian forces had been killed or cleared from the al-Faw Peninsula. At the same time, Western analysts accepted improbable estimates. [75] The head of the Supreme Defense Council Hashemi Rafsanjani announced during a news conference the end of human wave attacks. The Iranian armed forces destroyed 320–400 Iraqi tanks and armored vehicles in a costly success. Regular army troops, the paramilitary Revolutionary Guards and mullahs all lauded these youths, known as baseeji [Basij], for having played the most dangerous role in breaking through Iraqi lines. [94]:264 Iran hoped that the capture of these areas would bring more favorable terms to the ceasefire agreement.