Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, in the imposed war was the main target of Iran' s psychological operations, air and missile attacks and with sensitive military and economic centers, was repeatedly attacked.

Baghdad, the capital of Iraq and the largest city of this country, is located in central Iraq beside the Tigris River.⁠[1] This city with a population of more than 7,500,000 is the third most populous city of the Arab world.⁠[2] Baghdad is also the burial place of 2 Shia Imams, Imam Musa Kazem (AS), Imam Javad (AS), and Shia elders such as Salman Farsi.⁠[3]

After the Abbasids came to power in the second century AH and the transfer of the caliphate from Sham to Iraq, Mansur (the second Abbasid caliph) decided to build a new capital in Baghdad. Construction of Baghdad began in 145 AH and ended in 149 AH. In 656 AH the Mongols attacked Baghdad and killed the people of this city. Tamerlane also attacked Baghdad twice in 795 and 803 AH and in the second attack killed many people and left much destruction and damage.

Baghdad in 914 AH was captured by Shah Ismail Safavi and the period of Safavid-Ottoman struggle over capture of Baghdad began. After the collapse of the Ottoman government and the end of World War I, British forces captured Baghdad in 1917.⁠[4] Iraq in 1920 came under the League of Nations mandate and under British control as Iraq Province.⁠[5] With the approval of the Iraqi constitution in 1925 Baghdad became the capital of the country⁠[6] and in 1932 gained its independence.⁠[7] Following these developments, Baghdad city expanded and with the formation of the Republic of Iraq after Abdul Karim Qasim' s coup (1958), new residential areas formed around Baghdad.⁠[8]

On 1 April 1980 (1 Farvardin 1359) following throwing of a bomb at Tariq Aziz, member of Iraq' s command council and deputy prime minister of Iraq at al-Mustansiriya University in Baghdad, he was wounded and a number of students were killed. Saddam Hussein the next day went to al-Mustansiriya and swore he would take revenge. It was then announced that the perpetrator of the bombing was a member of Iraq' s al-Dawa Party and as a result a number of leaders of this party including Ayatollah Seyyed Mohammad Baqer Sadr and his sister Bint al-Huda were arrested on 5 April 1980 and executed three days later on 8 April 1980. These events led to further deterioration of relations between the two countries.⁠[9]

Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, is located less than 180 km from the border of Kermanshah Province.⁠[10] With the start of the imposed war, the 2nd Corps of the Iraqi Army was assigned to advance from the border of Kermanshah Province to Patagh Strait 50 km deep inside Iranian soil both to support the southern front and to secure Baghdad so Iranian forces stay away from this region.⁠[11] Of course despite employing many forces in this region, Iraq could not achieve its most important goal of capturing Patagh region and its heights.⁠[12] Due to lack of necessary armored equipment and Iraq' s relative air superiority, direct Iranian attack toward Baghdad in the imposed war was also not possible.⁠[13]

With the start of the imposed war, Baghdad' s military installations came among the Iranian Air Force targets. On 23 September 1980, 12 Phantom fighters of the 1st Mehrabad Fighter Base bombed al-Rashid Air Base and military targets in Baghdad.⁠[14] On 30 September 1980 the al-Doura refinery in Baghdad was bombed with 3 Phantoms of the 3rd Fighter Base.⁠[15] On the same day the Osirak nuclear power plant near Baghdad was also targeted.⁠[16] These actions were carried out while Baghdad was the center of Iraq' s 1st air defense region and equipped with various Russian air defense systems including SAM-2, SAM-3, SAM-6 and SAM-7 missiles, precise French missiles stationed on rooftops of high-rise buildings and various fighters patrolling day and night against Iranian aircraft. In addition, high-voltage power pylons were installed on Baghdad entry roads so all aircraft were forced to climb and come into view of radars and ambushing Iraqi aircraft.⁠[17]

Despite all these measures, on 22 October 1980, the center of this city and its important installations such as Saddam' s palace, parliament, ministry of interior and Baghdad bridges were photographed by Iranian aircraft⁠[18] and these photos in a propaganda action were published on 22 September 1981 in Ettelaat newspaper.⁠[19]

Before the war with Iran, Saddam at the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Havana had obtained the right to host the summit in summer 1982 for Iraq. Iran' s foreign ministry for a long time tried to cancel holding the summit in Baghdad, but when this was not done through diplomatic methods, creating insecurity in Baghdad Province was put on Iran' s agenda. On 21 July 1982 Phantom aircraft led by Abbas Doran bombed Baghdad' s al-Doura refinery. Abbas Doran' s aircraft, after targeting al-Doura refinery and breaking the sound barrier over Baghdad, on return was hit by Iraqi missiles. Instead of emergency ejection, Abbas Doran pressed the rear cabin emergency exit button (pilot Mansour Kazemian) so he would land with parachute and he himself by directing the aircraft toward al-Rashid Hotel, venue of the Non-Aligned summit, destroyed it and was martyred. With this operation, holding the Non-Aligned summit in Baghdad was canceled due to insecurity and held in New Delhi.⁠[20]

On 14 March 1985 the Rafidain Bank in central Baghdad was hit by Iranian missiles which was the first missile launch to Baghdad by the IRGC missile unit and could for a while prevent Iraq' s attack on Iranian cities. On 17 March 1985, Iran sent another missile toward one of Saddam' s palaces in Baghdad. This missile hit a building in eastern Karrada near Saddam' s palace. Iran' s fourth missile on 18 March 1985 hit the new building of Iraq' s foreign ministry in Baghdad in the western part of the Tigris River. This attack was carried out when Iraq was busy holding celebrations in Baghdad streets for Iran' s retreat in Badr Operation. Iran' s fifth missile in the early morning of Tuesday 19 March 1985 while the Egyptian president and Jordanian king were present in Baghdad was launched toward this city and hit the al-Doura industrial and oil center.⁠[21] Until the end of the imposed war Baghdad was attacked 80 times by Iranian missiles.⁠[22]

Based on Iran-Iraq agreement the two countries' embassies were open during the war until 1987.⁠[23] The Iranian embassy in Baghdad was the largest embassy in this city.⁠[24] Among the embassy forces were officers of the Army' s 2nd Department who with electronic equipment eavesdropped inside Baghdad.⁠[25] From the Islamic Revolution until April 1980 Hojjatoleslam Seyyed Mahmoud Doaei, from April 1980 to August 1983 Mehdi Besharat and until 2 October 1987 Mohammad-Ali Faripour as ambassador and charge d' affaires held responsibility of the Iranian embassy in Baghdad.⁠[26]

At the end of the seventh year of the war (1987) the two countries cut political and diplomatic relations and Iranian and Iraqi diplomats returned to their countries⁠[27] and the Iranian embassy in Baghdad was closed.

With the end of the imposed war, from 20 October 1990 following reopening of the Iranian embassy in Baghdad, political relations with Iraq officially resumed.⁠[28]

In 2003 (1382) with the attack of America and England on Iraq, Baghdad city fell to invaders and Saddam' s regime rule also ended.⁠[29]