Siege of Abadan

Siege of Abadan
Part of the Iran–Iraq War

The remains of a destroyed Iraqi T-55 tank in Abadan, left there as a symbol of the battle.
Date6 November 1980 – 27 September 1981
(10 months and 3 weeks)
Location
Abadan, Khuzestan province, southwest Iran
Result

Iranian victory

  • Iraqi siege broken
Belligerents
Iraq Iraq  Iran
Commanders and leaders
Saddam Hussein Ruhollah Khomeini
Mostafa Chamran
Units involved
92nd Armored Division
Strength
4,500 men initially
60,000 men at peak[1]
360–800 tanks		 6,000–15,000 men
50–60 tanks initially[2]
Casualties and losses
1,500 casualties
Hundreds of armored vehicles destroyed[2]		 3,000 casualties
170+ tanks destroyed[2]

The siege of Abadan was the encirclement of the city by Iraqi forces beginning in November 1980. The city had already been under almost daily bombardment since the early days of the war, which began the previous September.[3][4][5][6]

Abadan Island was the site of the Abadan Refinery, one of the world's largest oil refineries.[7]

  1. ^ "Abadan Fight Rages". The Washington Post.
  2. ^ a b c Razoux, Pierre (2015). The Iran-Iraq War. Harvard University Press, 2015. p. 131. ISBN 978-0674915718.
  3. ^ "IRAN-IRAQ FIGHTING FLARES UP". The New York Times. 28 September 1981.
  4. ^ Aboul-Enein, Youssef; Bertrand, Andrew; Corley, Dorothy (12 April 2012). "Egyptian Field Marshal Abdul-Halim Abu Ghazalah on the Combat Tactics and Strategy of the Iran–Iraq War". Small Wars Journal. Ghazalah's Phased Analysis of Combat Operations. Small Wars Foundation.
  5. ^ "Iraq tightens Abadan Siege". Washington Post. 2024-03-04. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  6. ^ Intern, MERIP (2018-10-13). "Abadan". MERIP. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  7. ^ Kamin., Mohammadi; Elliott, Mark (2004-01-01). Iran. Lonely Planet. ISBN 1740594258. OCLC 56651387.