Operation Nasr 4

Operation Nasr-4
Part of Iran–Iraq War
Date May 1987 to early June 1987 Location Iraqi Kurdistan Result Iranian victory
Belligerents
Iraq	Iran Pasdaran Peshmerga
Commanders and leaders
Ali Hasan al-Majid	Ali Sayad Shirazi

Operation Nasr-4 (Persian: عملیات نصر ۴‎‎) was a successful Iranian offensive in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Prelude

After Operation Karbala 5 the southern front (Basra) had come to a complete halt, while Iran was losing in the central front. The only place Iran could still rely on to win the war was the North. In May, Iran launched Operation Karbala 10, in this operation Iran supported by Kurdish Peshmerga defeated Iraq and endangered Sulaymaniyah.

The battle

After coming dangerously near the city of Sulaymaniyah with Karbala-10, Iran launched Operation Nasr-4 which became one of Iran's greatest successes in the war. Supported by the Kurds, Iranian Pasdaran fighters under the command of Lieutenant General Ali Sayad Shirazi attacked Iraq.

Aftermath

Nothing more happened in the south, until Iraq liberated the Al-Faw Peninsula while also re-capturing all land lost in the central front. Iraq could attack Iranian oil platforms and oil tankers while their own oil was transported via Kuwait and other Arab countries. Iran got frustrated and started attacking Kuwait, and later any tanker from pro-Iraq Arab countries, which ended in the US starting Operation Earnest Will to protect the ships, Iran kept on attacking and, after a US ship was heavily damaged by an Iranian mine the US launched Operation Praying Mantis. In this operation they first destroyed 2 Iranian oil-platforms, followed by the largest naval battle since World War II. The Iranian navy lost a frigate, a gunboat and several speedboats during the battle. In the north Iran continued advancing and Saddam started gassing the Kurdish population. Following this Ayatollah Khomeini finally accepted peace. But by this time Saddam didn't want peace anymore and together with the MEK conducted a joint attack to capture the town of Mehran in the Iranian province of Ilam as well as providing air support for the MEK advance in the province of Kermanshah. Saddam came under heavy international pressure which prompted him to withdraw his troops back across the border from Mehran, leaving the MEK army in occupation of the town. However the Iranian armed forces were able to defeat the MEK army which was largely destroyed in Operation Mersad. Now Saddam also accepted peace and the 8-year war was finally over.

References