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Iran-Iraq War

Iran-Iraq War

3 5.8
A war between Iran and Iraq from 1980 to 1988 over control of the Shatt al-Arab waterway
  • proper noun
translation icon : Guerra Irán-Irak
  • The Iran-Iraq War further contributed to the decline of the economy and the stock exchange.
  • Iran-Iraq War in 1980
  • Iran-Iraq War ended in 1988
  • end the Iran-Iraq War

There have been huge setbacks, like the War of Vietnam, the Iran, Iraq war.

Examples

  • The Gulf Cooperation Council was established in 1981 largely as a response to the 1979 Iranian Revolution and the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War in 1980, and the security posture and foreign policies of the GCC states since then have been determined in part by the ebb and flow of their relationships with Iran.

    Academic text (2013)
  • The end of the Iran-Iraq War confronts Syria again with a powerful enemy in Iraq.

    Academic text (1990)
  • The United States cannot afford to relax now that the Iran-Iraq War has finally ended.

    Academic text (1990)
  • And the Iran-Iraq War consumed those two countries for a decade.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Most Iraqi officers had gained recent combat experience in the Iran-Iraq War.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Memorials to the tragic Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s are found everywhere.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Both forces fought side by side in the long Iran-Iraq War, though often utilizing different tactics and strategies of warfare.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Of course, Iran does have legitimate security concerns, particularly with Iraq, and it did end the Iran-Iraq War with worn-out weaponry.

    Academic text (1994)
  • The Iranians began equipping themselves with SCUD missiles during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War.

    Academic text (2012)
  • The Iran-Iraq War lasted eight years, causing immense destruction and loss of life on both sides.

Synonyms

Gulf War
vsIran-Iraq War
1 3.7

A war from 1980 to 1988 between Iran and Iraq over land and water

means the same conflict but is an alternative name used for it

Surface Forms

Morphology

Iran-Iraq + war

The phrase is compositionally transparent: it names a war involving Iran and Iraq, so a learner who knows the country names and 'war' will readily infer it refers to armed conflict between those two states. This is a cross-linguistically common naming pattern for conflicts (Country–Country War), so B1 learners can understand the basic meaning even if they lack historical specifics.

Etymology

Iran-Iraq War gets its name from the two countries that fought: Iran and Iraq, who fought from 1980 to 1988 over a border and control of a river area. So the name simply means 'the war between Iran and Iraq'.