A Study of the Importance of the Strategic Region of the Persian Gulf in Shaping the Eight-Year Imposed Iran-Iraq War

Geography and geopolitics are among the factors that play an undeniable role in the escalation of wars. The government authorities of some countries oftentimes adopt certain expansionist approaches to their neighboring countries in order to change the geopolitical limitations of their territories. Iran has been frequently the target of the expansionist politics and ambitions of its neighbors. Iraq’s invasion of Iran and triggering the eight-year imposed war could be referred to as the last case of such expansionist schemes. Using a document and content analysis method and note-taking techniques, this paper is intended to examine the effects and role of the geopolitical status of the Persian Gulf in the escalation of Iraq’s invasion of Iran. The findings of this study demonstrate that, although several factors led to the occurrence of the Iran-Iraq war, borderline disputes, the Iraqi government’s greed for territorial expansion, and its thirst for accessing the vast coasts and rich resources of the Persian Gulf were among the main motives of the Ba’athist regime of Iraq to begin a war with Iran. Given the geopolitical status of Iraq and the unchangeable nature of the related features and factors, the foreign policy of this country has always been designed and determined based on its geopolitical challenges and dilemmas. Hence, there will be no difference between the foreign policies of the previous, present, and future government of this country, and Iraq’s geopolitical dilemma in relation to its lack of access to open seas will always remain a potential threat to the security of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Here, the authors have presented a number of strategies to safeguard against this threat, including authorities remaining alert and adopting the necessary measures in order to prevent or stand against any such expansionist endeavors.