ORDER OF BATTLE // January 1, 1981
Battle of Dezful
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
1 sides catalogued · combined 65,000–80,000 estimated
Iraq
65,000–80,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
Operation Nasr (also known as Operation Hoveyzeh), fought in early January 1981, stands as the largest tank battle of the Iran–Iraq War. The engagement involved Iraqi forces numbered between 65,000 and 80,000 troops, underscoring the scale of Iraq's commitment to operations in the Dezful area. Iranian forces under Abolhassan Banisadr and Meguertitch Khan Davidkhanian contested the battle with recorded casualties on both sides, though the outcome was not decisively recorded. As the war's largest armored engagement to that point, the battle reflected the high-intensity conventional warfare that characterized the early phase of the conflict before both sides adapted to attritional tactics.
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