The Soviet Union and the Arabian Peninsula (RLE Iran D) by Aryeh Yodfat

Author:Aryeh Yodfat [Yodfat, Aryeh]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780415610575
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Published: 2011-02-28T00:00:00+00:00

The list included projects that had been completed many years earlier, but unlike those of earlier years, the economic and technical co-operation now had much less influence on political relations, being more and more of a purely commercial nature.

Iraqi-Iranian Conflict — Prelude to War

The USSR wanted friendly, or at least non-hostile, relations to exist between Iraq and Iran, in order to avoid having to choose between them, or finding itself in a situation where closeness to one would negatively influence relations with the other.

Correct Iraqi-Iranian relations had existed during the last four years of the Shah’s reign, but after Iran’s Islamic revolution they deteriorated and a series of border incidents occurred. In Iraq a predominantly Sunni Muslim leadership rules over a Shi’a majority. Baghdad accused the Iranians of seeking to export their revolution and inciting sectarian conflicts in Iraq. Iran, for its part, accused Iraq of persecuting the Shi’ites and supporting opposition groups attempting to overthrow the Khomeyni regime. Iran also claimed that Iraq was encouraging a revolt in Khuzestan and Kordestan, and committing acts of sabotage.

Iraq demanded that Iran withdraw from the three islands guarding the Straits of Hormuz (Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa), which had been occupied by Iranian forces in 1971. It also called for an amendment of the 1975 Iraqi-Iranian agreement on the Shatt al-’Arab river. Iran was not prepared either to give up the islands or to amend the agreement.

Most Arab countries supported Iraq as an Arab country in conflict with a non-Arab one, partly because Iraq was considered to be stronger and partly because they feared the spread of Khomeynism and Iranian attempts to export their revolution.

On 17 September 1980 the Iraqi Revolution Command Council decided to abrogate the agreement of 6 March 1975 with Iran. Iraq declared the Shatt al-’Arab to be a national river, completely under its sovereignty, and made it mandatory for all ships using the river for navigational purposes to fly only the Iraqi flag and follow Iraqi instructions.

Border fighting between Iran and Iraq intensified, finally developing into a full-scale war when Iraqi forces invaded Iran. The Soviets remained silent and non-committal. They appeared to be waiting to see the outcome of the clash and would then take up a position accordingly.

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