February 9–26, 1986 · Southern Iraq / Gulf Theater
February 9–26, 1986
In one of the war's most audacious operations, 30,000 Iranian troops cross the Shatt al-Arab waterway in darkness during a storm and capture the entire Faw Peninsula — giving Iran access to the Persian Gulf and surrounding Basra on three sides. Iraqi counterattacks backed by chemical weapons fail to dislodge them. Iran holds Faw for two years.
Commanders