First Battle of al-Faw

Overview

The First Battle of al-Faw was a battle of the Iran–Iraq War, fought on the al-Faw peninsula between 10 February and 10 March 1986. The Iranian operation is considered to be one of Iran's greatest achievements in the Iran–Iraq War. The Iranians were able to capture the al-Faw peninsula, cutting off Iraqi access to the Persian Gulf in the process; this in turn hardened Iraqi attitudes to prosecute the war. The Faw peninsula was later recaptured by Iraqi forces near the end of the war.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The First Battle of al-Faw was fought on the al-Faw peninsula between February and March 1986, resulting in Iranian forces capturing the al-Faw peninsula and cutting off Iraqi access to the Persian Gulf. The operation is considered one of Iran's greatest achievements in the Iran–Iraq War. The loss of the peninsula hardened Iraqi attitudes toward prosecuting the war, deepening the conflict rather than prompting any resolution. Iran held the peninsula until Iraqi forces recaptured it near the end of the war, making al-Faw a contested strategic prize across the final years of the conflict. The battle's outcome demonstrated that Iran, despite facing significant resource constraints, could execute operations capable of seizing and holding strategically significant coastal terrain against Iraqi defenses.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (9)