Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, Cold War

Battle of Dezful

Battle of Dezful was a battle fought in 1981 at Dezful, in what is now Iran. It was part of the Iran–Iraq War, which ran from 1980 to 1988.

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Fought1981
WhereDezful, Iran31.561N, 48.183E
OutcomeIraqi victory; Iranian counter-attack fails.; Iraqis maintain the siege of Abadan, Ahvaz, Andimeshk, Dezful, Shush, Susangerd as well as continuing to besiege the nearby Air Force Base named Vahdati, all were receiving artillery fire and were hit by Frog-7 missiles
BelligerentsBa'athist IraqagainstIran
Part ofIran–Iraq War1980 to 1988

Where it sits in the Iran–Iraq War

Battle of Khorramshahr, 1980Operation Kaman 99, 1980Operation Scorch Sword, 1980Operation Dezful, 1980Siege of Abadan, 1980Operation Morvarid, 1980Battle of Dezful, 1981Attack on H3, 1981Bombing of Dowletu Prison, 1981Operation Samen-ol-A'emeh, 1981Operation Tariq al-Qods, 1981Operation Undeniable Victory, 1982Liberation of Khorramshahr, 1982Operation Beit ol-Moqaddas, 1982Operation Dawn 2, 1983Operation Dawn 3, 1983Operation Dawn 5, 1984Tankers War, 1984Battle of the Marshes, 1984War of the Cities, 1984Operation Badr, 1985chemical attack on Behbahan battalion, 1986Operation Dawn 8, 1986First Battle of al-Faw, 1986Battle of Mehran, 1986Aerial bombardment of the industries of Arak city, 1986Operation Karbala-2, 1986Operation Fath 1, 1986Bombing of Andimeshk, 1986Operation Karbala-4, 1986Aerial bombing of Chavar football ground, 1987Siege of Basra, 1987Operation Nasr 4, 1987Chemical bombing of Sardasht, 1987Operation Earnest Will, 1987Operation Prime Chance, 1987Operation Nimble Archer, 1987Kermanshah park shelter bombing, 1988Operation Ramadan ul-Mubarak, 1988Operation Forty Stars, 1988Operation Mersad, 198819801988Battle of Dezful, 1981
45 placed engagements of the Iran–Iraq War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1981 (year precision)
to 9 January 1981
PlaceDezful, Iran
31.561N, 48.183E
KindBattle, Cold War
Strength65,000-80,000 troops, three armored brigades from the 6th and 9th Armored divisions (T-62s) as well as T-72 tanks from the 10th independent armored brigade; 350 tanks in total~100.000 troops, three armored brigades from the 16th and 92nd Armored divisions (M60s and Chieftain tanks); 330 tanks in total
Casualties and losses45 tanks destroyed; Some APCs/IFVs destroyed; 3 helicopters downed; 15 rocket artillery pieces destroyed; 44 killed (Iraqi claim)214 tanks destroyed/captured; 150 APCs/IFVs destroyed/captured; Some self-propelled artillery destroyed; 8 AH-1J Cobras downed; Several fighter-bombers downed; 141–300 killed (Iranian claim); Heavy casualties (Iraqi claim)
Commanders
  • Abolhassan Banisadr
  • Meguertitch Khan Davidkhanian
Battle of DezfulBattle of DezfulOperation Tariq al-QodsBattle of the MarshesBombing of Ahvaz-Tehran passenger trainBattle of SusaBattle of the Uxian DefileOperation Tariq al-QodsBattle of the MarshesBombing of Ahvaz-Tehran passenger trainBattle of SusaBattle of the Uxian DefileAhvazBasraAl AmarahDezful100 km31.561N, 48.183E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1981

Battle of Dezful is one of 4,429 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 189 in present-day Iran.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q1570898, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Operation Nasr, revision 1370693949, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.