The Iran-Iraq War officially began on September 22, 1980, when Iraqi forces launched a full-scale invasion of Iran, capturing several border towns and cities. The initial Iraqi offensive was met with stiff resistance from the Iranian military, which launched a counteroffensive and pushed the Iraqis back across the border. Over the course of the next eight years, the war would see a series of offensives and counteroffensives, with both sides suffering heavy casualties. The war was characterized by brutal trench warfare, chemical weapons attacks, and large-scale civilian casualties. The use of chemical weapons, in particular, was a hallmark of the conflict, with both sides accusing the other of using mustard gas, nerve agents, and other chemical weapons against civilian populations.
