August 8, 1988: Iraq commemorates victory that ended the eight-year war with Iran

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq marks August 8, 1988, as the day the eight-year war with Iran ended and what Iraqi accounts describe as a major victory for the country. According to the text, Iran’s leadership had publicly stated that the war’s objective was to export its revolution, but the real aim, as the source claims, was to dismantle the Iraqi state and its people. The war ended with what the text describes as a heavy defeat for Iran, with Tehran forced to accept peace. Iraqi accounts frame the outcome not only as a military result but as the preservation of the country’s existence and the affirmation of national will. The source argues that the outcome halted Iran’s velayat-e faqih project and preserved regional balance. It also presents August 8 as a day of remembrance for Iraqi martyrs and a reaffirmation of the importance of defending the homeland.