the necessary measures to make the Iranian regime respond to the peace calls. The
conference also announced its solidarity with Iraq and its appreciation for its accept-
ance of Security Council Resolution Number 598 and its response to all peace initia-
tives. It also stressed its solidarity with and support for Iraq in protecting its territory
and waters, and in defending its legitimate rights.
The leaders reviewed the developments in the gulf area and the serious conse-
quences resulting from Iranian threats, provocations and aggressions. The conference
announced its solidarity with Kuwait in confronting the Iranian regime’s aggression.
It also denounced the bloody criminal incidents perpetrated by Iranians in the Holy
Mosque of Mecca. The conference affirmed its support for Kuwait in all of the mea-
sures it has taken to protect its territory and waters, and to guarantee its security and
stability. The conference announced its support for Kuwait in confronting the Iran-
ian regime’s threats and aggressions....
[The remainder of the communiqué deals with the Arab-Israeli conflict and other regional
matters.]
SOURCE:Historic Documents of 1987 (Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 1988), 872–874.Conclusion of the Iran-Iraq War
DOCUMENT IN CONTEXT
The Iran-Iraq War sputtered to an end in July 1988, nearly eight years after it had
begun, when top Iranian officials concluded that they had no other choice but to agree
to the cease-fire. Iraq had begun the war in 1980, and Iran had prolonged it for years
in a futile attempt to procure an historic victory for its Islamic revolution. In the end,
both sides lost the war, but Iraq emerged in a stronger position militarily. Iran suf-
fered heavier losses in terms of human casualties, economic decline, and damage to its
international reputation. The war served as a direct precursor to the much shorter Per-
sian Gulf War of 1991. The latter resulted from Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, an action
prompted by Iraqi president Saddam Hussein’s illusions of greatness and a need for
Kuwaiti oil and wealth following what he perceived to be victory over Iran (Iran-Iraq
War and Diplomacy, p. 430; Persian Gulf War, p. 455).
The first significant diplomatic move toward ending the Iran-Iraq War began in
July 1987 with the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 598, calling for an
immediate cease-fire. Iraq accepted the resolution, but Iran did not, apparently believ-
ing that it held the upper hand militarily because its forces still occupied small bits of
southern Iraq.
IRAQ AND THE GULF WARS 437