There were many battles fought throughout the first four years of the war. Each country having its fair share of wins. In February of 1984, Iran was finally gaining some ground by taking Majnun Island and almost taking Basra. Iraq launched its first chemical warfare offensive using mustard gas and sarin to try to dislodge the Iranians. The Iranians managed to hold on to the island, and many jumped into the water to avoid the Iraqi firepower. They were all eventually taken down by helicopter gunships and electrocuted by electrodes. This killed over 3,000 Iranians and they were bulldozed into a mass grave, which made a very distinct ridge in the sandbank (Karsh, 1988). Iraq used its second chemical attack in 1985 when Iran was marching an offensive named Operation Badr. They inflicted 15,000 casualties on the Iranians, but also ended up losing 11,000 of their own. Iran captured part of the Baghdad-Bara highway near the border, which basically cut Iraq into two. Iraq got scared and Saddam was stunned. He ordered the widest use of chemical weapons to date, which included tabun and cyanide, as well as an extensive missile campaign. This led to the second war of the cities and many people suffered injuries from the chemicals (Karsh, 1988). Chemical agents are very deadly. Depending on the amount of exposure, the chemicals can cause varying degrees of symptoms. Sarin, which is a man-made nerve agent, that is colorless and odorless, can cause runny nose, watery eyes, blurred vision, rapid breathing, diarrhea, vomiting, confusion, and increased or decreased heart rate, and/or blood pressure. Large doses by any route (swallowed or absorbed) will cause loss of consciousness, convulsions, paralysis, and/or respiratory failure (Facts about Sarin, n.d.). Mustard gas, can be a liquid or vapor form. The vapor, if inhaled can cause blister in the lungs, chronic respiratory diseases, infections, and even death. (Facts about Sulfur Mustard, n.d.). Later, Iraq used tabun, a man-made liquid or gas which can be inhaled, absorbed through eyes or skin. Immediate signs and symptoms include; blurred vision, cough, diarrhea, headache, rapid breathing, vomiting, and prolonged exposure can result in loss of consciousness, seizures, paralysis, and death (Facts on Tabun, n.d.). Hydrogen cyanide gas, the final chemical used by the Iraqi’s, causes dizziness, nausea, rapid breathing and heart rate. Large amounts of exposure may cause convulsions, loss of consciousness, lung injury, and slow blood pressure and heart …show more content…
The United States (U.S.) being one of them. As the war dwindled down in 1988, the U.S. figured out through satellite images that Iran was going to be able to get an advantage by manipulating holes in Iraq’s defensive lines. Since the U.S. was for Iraq winning the war, they gave information on the whereabouts of the Iranian forces to Iraq, knowing that Saddam’s army would use chemical weapons to attack the Iranians, including sarin (“Iran/United states: Retired army officer,” …show more content…
Mustard gas and sarin were used by Iraqis prior to four major offensives in early 1988. The U.S. gave Iraq satellite images, intelligence, and land layouts to help with their defenses. These attacks, which were described earlier, helped change the course of the war to Iraq's favor. The Reagan administration’s goal of an Iraq win would finally come about. The Reagan administration and other U.S. government officials knew about the multiple chemical attacks in Iraq the years prior and did nothing about them. Along with knowing and turning a blind eye, they aided the Iraqis with intelligence. President Reagan was even heard saying, “An Iranian victory is unacceptable" (“Iran/United states: Retired army officer,” 2013). Some would argue it was all done over