THE IRAN-IRAQ WAR

The Iran-Iraq War was one of the costliest and most pointless wars of the twentieth century. Ultimately, roughly one to one and a half million Iranians and Iraqis (many of whom were civilians) died between 1980 and 1988 but at the war's conclusion there were no border changes or reparations levied by either side. The fighting was characterised by intense trench warfare and 'human wave' attacks with high levels of attrition. There was also the use of chemical weapons such as Mustard Gas and VX Nerve Gas. These developments concerned