The Oil Weapon and Tanker War in the Persian Gulf (4); From Conflict with the U.S. to Acceptance of the Resolution

In the third section, the airstrikes by Iraq against Iran's economic infrastructure, the escalation of the tanker war, the changing of flags on tankers, and the internationalization of the war in the Persian Gulf were discussed. In this section, we will address the pause and resurgence of the tanker war, the U.S. attack on Iranian oil platforms, the Iran-U.S. conflict in the Persian Gulf, the Operation Tawakkalna Ala Allah, and the recapture of Fao by Iran. The reduction in attacks and the UN Security Council resolution in 1987 (from January 1, 1987, to December 31, 1987) followed the deadly attack by an Iraqi aircraft on the U.S. Navy ship Stark in late May 1987, which led to a month-long reduction in Iraq's attacks on tankers. In July, with the resumption of UN efforts to end the war between Iran and Iraq, a similar situation prevailed on the fronts, lasting six weeks. This action by the UN was based on Resolution 598, which was unanimously approved on July 20, 1987. Saddam accepted this resolution, but the Islamic Republic delayed its acceptance due to the lack of benefits and advantages for it. During this period, the Islamic Republic was subject to sanctions from the U.S., Britain, and France. The Soviet Union supported Saddam, while China, through a contract based on oil for weapons, supplied some of the Islamic Republic's military needs, including the sale of anti-ship missiles known as Silkworms. Ultimately, Saddam, interpreting that the Islamic Republic was trying to strengthen its position on the fronts by delaying the acceptance of the aforementioned resolution for a ceasefire, resumed his airstrikes. During this period of reduced Iraqi airstrikes, Iran managed to increase its oil exports to over 2 million barrels per day, raising its daily revenue to $25 million. The resumption of attacks escalated tensions with the U.S., and from early August 1987, Iraqi aircraft executed a series of attacks targeting several offshore oil facilities, tankers, oil fields, factories, and oil terminals in Bandar Ganaveh and the islands of Sirri, Khark, Farsi, and Lavan. Simultaneously, the killing of 275 Iranian pilgrims in Mecca during the 'Declaration of Disavowal from Polytheists' and political slogans on August 9 further darkened Iran-Saudi relations and intensified the regional crisis. Following this event and the intensification of Iraqi attacks, the Islamic Republic rejected Resolution 598 and the acceptance of a ceasefire, responding by attacking commercial and oil tankers. As a result, the war in the Persian Gulf escalated once again. Concurrently, tensions between the Islamic Republic and the U.S. also increased. The U.S., attempting to prevent the Islamic Republic from mining the Persian Gulf waters through a special operation called 'Operation Earnest Will,' ultimately seized the Iranian ship Ajr, which was laying mines, on September 22, 1987. During the U.S. helicopter attack on this ship, 26 crew members, who were from the Revolutionary Guards, were captured, and at least three were killed. The U.S. subsequently sank the Iranian ship Ajr. Two weeks later, on October 8, U.S. helicopters sank three Revolutionary Guard boats near Farsi Island, resulting in the capture of six Guards and the death of two. Eight days after this event, on October 16, Iran fired a Silkworm missile at a Kuwaiti tanker flying the American flag that was about to join a convoy under the escort of U.S. warships. In this missile attack, the tanker was severely damaged, and 19 of its crew were injured. Three days later, on October 19, U.S. warships destroyed two Iranian offshore oil platforms named Roshdat (formerly known as Rakhsh) and Resalat (Rustam) in an operation called 'Sharp Edge,' which were being used by the Guards to support military operations. With the intensification of the war in the Persian Gulf, international concerns about the free flow of oil to global markets increased. Despite this, 30 tankers and cargo ships continued to enter and exit the Persian Gulf daily. Ship owners, considering the oversupply of ships in the global market and the resulting fierce competition for income, continued to send their vessels to the Persian Gulf. According to Lloyd's (a financial services and insurance brokerage company in London), from the beginning of the tanker war in April 1983 until September 1987, 353 ships and tankers were targeted and damaged. This number peaked in 1987 (from January 1, 1987, to December 31, 1987). During these twelve months, Iran targeted 83 commercial and oil tankers, while Iraq targeted 78 similar vessels. Iraq continued to use its air force to attack ships, while Iran utilized warships, speedboats, and mines to continue the maritime conflict. During this time, despite the unprecedented escalation of attacks, one-sixth of the oil needed by non-communist countries passed through the Strait of Hormuz, and Iran's crude oil production in 1987 reached 2.3 million barrels per day. Halabja, the Fifth City War. In terms of ground operations, Iran conducted limited operations in Iraqi Kurdistan near the city of Halabja, and in the winter of 1987, Iranian forces reached the heights and lands west of Lake Darbandikhan known as the Zor Plain, but this strategy did not lead Saddam to transfer his forces from the south to the north. On March 15, 1988, the Iraqi army bombed the city of Halabja in Iraqi Kurdistan with chemical weapons in retaliation for the cooperation of some Kurds with Iranian forces, killing at least 5,000 people and injuring more than 7,000 to varying degrees. Eight months prior to this attack, the Iraqi air force had bombed four points in the city of Sardasht in West Azerbaijan province using chemical bombs, resulting in the death of 110 people and injuries to several thousand. The response of international organizations to these attacks and other chemical attacks by Iraq was often delayed, weak, or ineffective. Prior to this attack, the fifth city war began, which lasted intensely for two months from March 1, 1988, to May 1, 1988. In this war, the missile launches by Iraq against residential areas were significantly more than those launched by Iran. This war created a pause in the tanker war that lasted nearly a month, but as the city war subsided, confrontations in the Persian Gulf resumed. Operation Akhoundak. Alongside ground operations and attacks, military operations by the U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf complicated the situation in this water area. On April 14, 1988, a U.S. missile destroyer named 'Samuel B. Roberts,' while escorting tankers heading towards Kuwait, struck a sea mine and was severely damaged. In response to this event, four days later, the U.S. Navy conducted an operation called 'Akhoundak,' destroying the Salman oil platform (formerly known as Sasan, located 144 kilometers from Lavan Island) and the oil platforms of Sirri Island. In response to the destruction of these platforms, several speedboats from the Guards attacked several commercial ships, including a British tanker, causing damage to them. In retaliation for this action by the Guards, U.S. units sank one of the Guards' speedboats, while several others, having sustained damage, made their way to Abu Musa Island. Meanwhile, the missile destroyer Joushan challenged a U.S. warship by firing a Harpoon missile at it, which was ineffective. Following this firing, the Joushan destroyer was sunk by U.S. warships. As the naval conflict continued, the destroyer Sahand, having left Bandar Abbas near Hengam Island, was severely damaged and sank during a confrontation with U.S. warships and aircraft. Following this event, the destroyer Sabalan, which had returned to its base in Bandar Abbas after a patrol mission in the western Persian Gulf and was refueling and taking water at anchor, moved towards the conflict area. However, on the way, it was severely damaged by U.S. forces and became immobilized. The 'Tawakkalna Ala Allah' operation, the recapture of Fao, marked the Iranian Navy's conflict with the U.S. in the Persian Gulf on April 18, 1988, coinciding with the recapture of Fao and the severe defeat of Iranian forces in this peninsula. The Battle of Fao was part of the Tawakkalna Ala Allah operation, which lasted nearly four months, with other components including the Battle of Mahach Lake, the Battle of Majnoon Islands, the Battle of Dehloran, and the Battle of Qasr-e Shirin. The Iranian forces in Fao, mostly Basij volunteers, did not exceed 15,000 in number and were caught off guard by the movements before the battle of Iraqi divisions and the transfer of their tanks, artillery, and equipment. During this 36-hour battle, which was characterized by precise planning, adherence to the principle of surprise, and the implementation of a massive artillery fire using conventional and chemical shells, resembling the offensive attacks of World War I, the resistance of Iranian forces was broken. In this operation, Iraq utilized U.S. intelligence support, including satellite images related to the deployment of Iranian forces in Fao. This battle held extraordinary political and operational significance for Iraq and boosted the morale of its military forces. Two years prior to this battle, Iraq's repeated attempts to recapture Fao had been unsuccessful. Following this victory, Iraqi forces engaged in battles with Iranian forces at Mahach Lake (May 25, 1988), Majnoon Islands (June 24, 1988), and Dehloran (July 11, 1988), often using chemical weapons, and managed to recapture parts of Iranian territory, including the recapture of Dehloran, which was located 30 kilometers from the border. The execution of the U.S. Navy's Akhoundak operation and Iran's successive defeats during the four-month Tawakkalna Ala Allah operation led commanders and officials of the Islamic Republic to conclude that victory for Iran in this war was impossible. The targeting of Iran Air Flight 655 also added to this conclusion. On July 3, 1988, this aircraft, which was en route from Bandar Abbas to Dubai, was shot down by a missile from the U.S. Navy ship 'Vincennes,' killing all 290 passengers on board. Ultimately, the Islamic Republic accepted Resolution 598, and Khomeini announced the 'drinking of the poison chalice of accepting the resolution' to the people, and on August 20, 1988, a ceasefire was established.