Firestorm: First Gulf War Epsd. 2

By 1980, Iraq stood as a formidable military power, boasting 242,000 soldiers—second only to Egypt in the Arab world—alongside a massive arsenal of 2,350 tanks and 340 combat aircraft.

As Saddam Hussein watched the once-mighty Iranian army crumble post-revolution, he saw a golden opportunity. The specter of the Islamic Revolution provided the perfect pretext for an offensive.

In July 1980, Iraqi military intelligence assessed that despite Iran's aggressive rhetoric, it lacked the capability to launch significant offensive operations or defend on a large scale.

Just days before Iraq's planned invasion, military intelligence reaffirmed on 14 September that Iran's troop deployments seemed more defensive than aggressive.

While some scholars, like Alistair Finlan, initially argued that Saddam was reluctantly pulled into the conflict due to border clashes and Iranian interference, the opening of previously classified Iraqi archives paints a different picture.

By 2014, evidence presented by Kevin M. Woods and Williamson Murray suggested that Saddam was actively seeking a justification for war.

On 8 March 1980, Iran escalated tensions by withdrawing its ambassador from Iraq, downgrading diplomatic relations, and demanding reciprocal action.

Iraq responded the next day by declaring Iran's ambassador persona non grata and ordering his departure by 15 March.

The stage was set. Iraq, with its military might and strategic ambitions, was ready to launch a calculated strike, setting the region on a path to a protracted and devastating conflict.