Ahvaz, the capital of Khuzestan Province, was one of the main targets for enemy capture from the very beginning of the Iran-Iraq War. It remained under attack by Iraqi aircraft until the end of the war.

Ahvaz is the center of Ahvaz County and the capital of Khuzestan Province in southwestern Iran. It is one of Iran’ s ancient cities, but its modern form was established in 1887 as Bandar-e Nasseri, or Nasseriyeh. The name was changed to Ahvaz in 1935.⁠[1] Both the names Khuzestan and Ahvaz derive from the root “ Hooz” or “ Khuz”, referring to the ancient tribes that once lived in this land.⁠[2]

Important industries are located around Ahvaz, including oil industries, the Ahvaz Steel Complex, the Ahvaz Pipe Industrial Company, and the Ahvaz Sugar Factory.⁠[3] The Karun River runs through the middle of the city, dividing it into two parts.⁠[4] The people of Ahvaz speak both Persian and Arabic, and they are Shia Muslims.⁠[5]

From September– October 1978, strikes began in schools, the bazaar, and other places. The strikes in the oil centers dealt a heavy blow to the Pahlavi regime.⁠[6] One of the key centers of revolutionary activities was the Jazaeri Mosque in Ahvaz, located in the bazaar and city center.⁠[7]

Starting in June 1979, a series of attacks took place in several cities in Khuzestan Province, including Ahvaz. On July 4 and 5, an unsuccessful attempt was made to destroy the plane carrying Lieutenant General Nasser Farbod, Chief of the Army General Staff, at Ahvaz Airport.⁠[8] Also, on July 9, the “ Black Wednesday” guerrilla group claimed responsibility for attacking the Ahvaz power plant.⁠[9] These clashes continued into 1980. On June 24, 1980, a bomb exploded on Imam Khomeini (ra) Street in Ahvaz, resulting in the martyrdom of injuries of about 36 people.⁠[10]

As the attacks and clashes continued, on September 21, 1980, people gathered at Jazaeri Mosque to join a march demonstrating their readiness to defend the country.⁠[11] When Iraq invaded Iran on September 22, 1980, Iraqi MiG aircraft bombed Ahvaz. They targeted the silo at the beginning of the Ahvaz– Omidiyeh Road (used for storing ammunition for the Ahvaz Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)), Ahvaz Airport, and other sites. That same day, Iraqi forces attacked Iran’ s borders from three axes — northern, southern, and central. The southern axis, which targeted Ahvaz, included three fronts: northern, central, and southern. Iraqi troops entered Iranian territory from Chazabeh in the north of Hawizeh Marshes and Talaiyeh in the south. The plan was for the Chazabeh axis forces to pass through Susangerd and reach Hamidiyeh near Ahvaz, while the Talaiyeh axis forces would advance through Kooshk and Jofeir to link up west of Ahvaz and occupy the city.⁠[12]

On September 26, 1980, Iraqi forces reached the Navard area, 15 kilometers from Ahvaz.⁠[13] By this time, they had occupied about 100 kilometers of the 130-kilometer Ahvaz– Khorramshahr Road and controlled the city’ s exit routes in the Police Road and Pol-e Nou areas.⁠[14] The Balali Battalion was among the first defenders of Ahvaz and was sent to the combat zones. It had been formed in 1979 from Ahvaz IRGC forces under the command of Muhammad Balali.⁠[15]

With the start of the war, the golf club located in western Ahvaz along the Ramhormoz road was converted into the central Karbala Headquarters. It became the main command center for directing the IRGC’ s war efforts in the south and was renamed the Paygah-e Montazeran-e Shahadat (Base of Those Awaiting Martyrdom).⁠[16]

On September 30, an ammunition depot near the 92nd Division garrison in the Fooliabad Hills west of Ahvaz exploded.⁠[17] In this critical situation, with Iraqi troops approaching Ahvaz, Imam Khomeini (ra) addressed the Iranian military forces and people of Ahvaz, saying: “ Does Ahvaz have no young men, that the city should fall? ” Following this speech, the small number of Ahvaz IRGC forces, under the command of Ali Ghayoor-Asli, attacked the Iraqi troops on the Hamidiyeh– Golbahar axis and forced them to retreat. In this way, Ahvaz was saved from the Iraqi threat.⁠[18]

On October 27, 1980, due to Iraqi artillery fire, a petrol station on Ahvaz’ s 24-meter street caught fire. The intensity of the attacks increased in early 1981. During the missile attack on March 10, 1981, 80 people were martyred, and 26 were wounded. In such conditions, many residents of Ahvaz and Dezful moved to other cities, including Shushtar.⁠[19]

Two days after the second phase of Operation Beit al-Muqaddas, which began on May 6, 1982, the Iraqi army withdrew from the south and southwest of Ahvaz. This freed the city from enemy fire.⁠[20]

Ahvaz served as a forward support base for the fronts. The presence of military forces and the deployment of units turned the city into a semi-military town.⁠[21]

Reconstruction of damaged areas in Ahvaz began in 1982. By September 1983, 4,010 residential and other buildings had been repaired or renovated.⁠[22]

Throughout the Iran-Iraq War, Iraqi Air Force attacks on Ahvaz continued. One of the most intense occurred on December 6, 1986. That morning, eight aircraft attacked the Ahvaz water treatment facilities and the Ramin and Zargan power plants on the outskirts of the city. In the afternoon, the air raids continued for about 40 minutes. A total of 52 points in Ahvaz were bombed. Around 200 people were martyred, and 500 to 700 were injured in these attacks.⁠[23] Ahvaz suffered the highest number of casualties from city bombings throughout the war.⁠[24]

One of the important centers of popular support was the Zeinabiyeh of Ahvaz. It operated as the Support Headquarters for collecting and preparing supplies for the fronts, run by the women of Ahvaz. In addition to packing donated items, they washed blankets and sheets for the fighters and cared for the wounded. Martyrs whose bodies were kept in a special mortuary complex in the Navard area were brought to Hosseiniyeh Azam for funeral processions. Hosseiniyeh Azam was a gathering place for the people of Ahvaz during the revolutionary struggles and, throughout the war, hosted Friday prayers and martyr funerals.⁠[25]

Religious and commemorative speeches took place at the Ali ibn Mahziyar (as) Shrine and in the Shahidabad neighborhood. Shahid Majid Baqaei Hospital was opened early in the war by the IRGC in the former Alfa Guest House of the National Steel Group and served as a treatment center for war-wounded.⁠[26] Other hospitals in Ahvaz, such as Imam Khomeini (ra) (east of Bagh-e Moein), Golestan, Ayatollah Taleqani in the Amaniyeh area, Fatemeh Zahra (sa), etc. provided medical services to the war-wounded throughout the eight years of the Iran-Iraq War.⁠[27]

A few days after Iran accepted UN Security Council Resolution 598, on July 22, 1988, Iraqi forces once again invaded Iran from the Kooshk-Shalamcheh axis. They captured about 30 kilometers of the Khorramshahr– Ahvaz Road and approached the outskirts of Ahvaz. Following a general call for forces in Iran, the Iraqis retreated after one day.⁠[28]

The Khuzestan Sacred Defense Cultural Center and Museum is located in Ahvaz. The Base of Those Awaiting Martyrdom is also one of the war memorials in the city visited by Rahian-e Noor caravans each year.⁠[29]

The city of Ahvaz is known as the “ Capital of the War”.⁠[30] According to the 2016 census, Ahvaz has a population of 1,184,788.⁠[31]

Shiralinia, Jafar; Zahedi, Saeed, Ketab-e Ravy (The Book of Narrator), Vol. 10, p. 80.