ocated on the banks of an international waterway in southwestern Khuzestan province, Khorramshahr was captured by Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s marauding forces in 1980, with support from Western powers, and remained under occupation for 575 days.
Once known as the “Bride of the Middle East,” Khorramshahr became a powerful symbol of resistance, thanks to the extraordinary bravery and determination of Iranian soldiers defending their homeland.
How did the city fall?
The enemy’s attack on Khorramshahr began on September 22, 1980, the very day the Iraqi Baathist regime launched its aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran, targeting border cities and airfields across the country.
This unprovoked assault came just hours after the collapse of Iran–US negotiations in Bonn, centered on the disputed tens of billions of dollars Saddam Hussein had deposited in American bank accounts.
With Washington’s tacit approval and assurances of political and military support, Saddam Hussein launched the invasion, which became evident in the way the aggression unfolded.
Saddam clearly underestimated Iran’s military and paramilitary strength following the Islamic Revolution and wrongly assumed that the Arabic-speaking population of Khuzestan would welcome him as a "liberator."
This proved to be a grave miscalculation. Despite having only a few thousand armed defenders, Khorramshahr resisted tens of thousands of foreign invaders for a full month and a half.
The heroic resistance is also notable for the significant participation of Iranian women, who made up a quarter of the defenders, a remarkable fact often overlooked by Western media.
On May 24, 1982, Iranian forces reclaimed the strategic port city of Khorramshahr after more than 500 days of Iraqi occupation. The Beit ol-Moqaddas operation secured a decisive victory but came at a steep price—6,000 Iranian lives lost and thousands wounded.
An examination of the circumstances of the fall of Khorramshahr reveals that a lack of preparedness on the part of the Bani Sadr government in Iran, despite several months of relentless Iraqi aggression, was a key factor contributing to the city’s capture.
Another significant factor was the flawed war strategy adopted by Abolhassan Banisadr. He believed in the “Parthian shot” strategy: deliberately yielding territory to buy time, lure the enemy in, encircle them, and then counterattack.
This approach heavily influenced the loss of Khorramshahr and the severe casualties that followed. Additionally, Banisadr’s misguided view of popular and revolutionary forces and how they should be utilized further weakened the defense efforts.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, in one of his speeches, explained why Khorramshahr became a “city of blood.”
"The traitorous officials, those who were 100% in control of the war, were unwilling to give credit to the people's fighting forces."
"The Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), this life-saving force, was not taken seriously by that unfortunate fugitive (Banisadr) and his colleagues and like-minded people. This was because they tried to keep all the power for themselves," he added.
How was the city liberated?
With the dismissal of Banisadr and his removal from the country’s political and military leadership, a major obstacle to Iran’s war efforts was cleared.
In April 1982, Iran launched a large-scale operation, code-named Beit ol-Moqaddas, to retake Khorramshahr and other occupied territories in Khuzestan Province. The operation unfolded in multiple phases, culminating in a final assault on Khorramshahr itself.
Iran deployed tens of thousands of troops, including regular army units, IRGC forces, and Basij volunteers. Their superior numbers and high morale, fueled by revolutionary devotion, proved decisive.
Baathist Iraq had fortified the city with approximately 15,000–20,000 troops, supported by tanks, artillery, and defensive positions. However, Iraqi forces suffered from logistical difficulties and low morale.
The battle involved intense urban warfare as Iranian forces advanced through heavily fortified Iraqi defenses. Coordinated assaults combined infantry, armor, and artillery, with Iranian troops enduring heavy casualties due to Iraqi weaponry and extensive minefields.
On May 24, 1982, after weeks of fierce combat, Iranian forces successfully liberated Khorramshahr. Iraq suffered significant losses, with thousands killed, wounded, or captured, and was forced to retreat from much of Khuzestan.
Ayatollah Khamenei, who was the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran at the time, said the operation of Beit ol-Moqaddas and other great operations that took place in those days “were a huge, complex task that was composed of two factors."
"The first factor was the military knowledge and command strength and the alertness and talent of our faithful youth... The second factor, which is more important than the first factor, was the power of faith and courage resulting from the strength of faith of the warriors, the people, and the youth; that is, the love of faith."
He also credited the successful liberation to the effective deployment and presence of popular and revolutionary forces, such as the Basij and IRGC, on the battlefield.
The victory at Khorramshahr profoundly changed the world’s perception of Iran’s Islamic Revolution. Those who had anticipated the collapse of the newly established revolution began to question their beliefs after the city’s liberation.
Ayatollah Khamenei reflected on this momentous event in these words:
"When Khorramshahr was liberated... it was a huge event; it was both politically important, militarily very complex and important, and socially and in the public’s eyes and hearts, how important and influential it was. It was a huge event in every way. Everyone came from different places."
The outcome dealt a severe blow to the West-backed Iraqi regime and its regional and international supporters, who struggled to comprehend how an isolated and sanctioned Iran could defeat an army equipped with sophisticated Western arms and chemical weapons.
The victory is commemorated annually as a decisive turning point in the imposed war and stands as a symbol of Iranian heroism and national unity.
Today, this historic triumph represents something far greater: a turning point in thwarting Western-backed plots in the region. Tehran and Baghdad, along with the Iranian and Iraqi peoples, now see each other as allies and brothers.
Together, they have fought against Daesh terrorism and resisted foreign intervention. Each year, millions of Iranians participate in the Arbaeen pilgrimage to Iraq, where they are warmly welcomed by locals who share a common commitment to resistance against arrogance.
The long-standing Western strategy to exploit and divide the two nations has failed. Today, Iranians and Iraqis stand united on the side of resistance.
*** By By Ivan Kesic
(The article was originally published on Presstv Website )