Around 10,000 people from East Azerbaijan Province were martyred during the Iran-Iraq War. East Azerbaijan Province is located in the northwest of Iran and ranks tenth in the country in terms of area.⁠[1] Geographically, the province lies at the junction of the Alborz and Zagros Mountain ranges. In terms of Iran’s watershed divisions, the Aras, Sefidrud, Qezel Ozan, and Lake Urmia basins cover the East Azerbaijan Province, with the largest portion of its territory falling within the Lake Urmia watershed. East Azerbaijan is a mountainous region, with approximately 40 percent of its surface area comprising mountains, 28.2 percent consisting of hills and rolling terrain, and 31.8 percent comprising plains and intermontane lowlands.⁠[2] The province has a cold and semi-arid climate.⁠[3] According to the most recent national census of population and housing conducted in 2016, the population of East Azerbaijan Province is 3,909,652,⁠[4] and the majority of its people speak Azerbaijani (Azari) Turkish.⁠[5]

After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of East Azerbaijan Province was established in the former SAVAK building in Tabriz. The first mission of the provincial IRGC forces was to conduct armed urban patrols to confront the unrest caused by the Muslim People’s Republican Party in early 1980, which had destabilized Tabriz.⁠[6] With the outbreak of unrest in Kurdistan, the IRGC of East Azerbaijan also played a role in confronting anti-revolutionary and separatist groups and in clearing the cities of Saqqez, Oshnavieh, Piranshahr, Sardasht, Shahin Dezh, Naqadeh, Takab, Bukan, and Divandareh.⁠[7]

Twelve days after the start of the Iran-Iraq War, the first group of Azerbaijanis was dispatched to the southern frontlines and deployed in Farsiat.⁠[8] In the second year of the war, the 1st Ashura Brigade was formed under the command of Muhammad-Ali (Aziz) Jafari, consisting of IRGC and Basij forces from East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, Tehran, Fars, and Khorasan. After Operation Beit al-Muqaddas (1982), command of the 1st Ashura Brigade—around 70 percent of whose personnel were from Azerbaijan—was transferred to East Azerbaijan Province, and Mahdi Bakeri was appointed as the new commander. Following Operation Moslim ibn Aqil in 1982, the 1st Ashura Brigade became a division.⁠[9]

Before the formation of the 1st Ashura Brigade, the IRGC forces from East Azerbaijan took part in operations to break the sieges of Susangerd, Hoveyzeh, Imam Mahdi (as), Imam Ali (as), Shahid Madani, and Thamen al-Aemmah (as). After the brigade was formed, they participated in operations Tariq al-Quds, Matla al-Fajr, Muhammad Rasulullah (pbuh), Molay-e Mottaqin (as), Fath al-Mubin, and Beit al-Muqaddas. After command of the brigade was handed over to provincial forces, they engaged the enemy during operations Ramadan, Moslim ibn Aqil, Preliminary Valfajr, Valfajr 1, Valfajr 2, Valfajr 4, Kheibar, Badr, Valfajr 8, Ya Mahdi Ya Sahib al-Zaman (as), Karbala 4, Karbala 5, Karbala 8, Nasr 7, Beit al-Muqaddas 2, Beit al-Muqaddas 3, and Mersad.⁠[10]

Muhammad-Ali (Aziz) Jafari, Amin Shariati, Mahdi Bakeri, Ali Tajallaie, Morteza Yaghchian, Ali Fazli, and Hamid Bakeri were among the prominent commanders of the 31st Ashura Division during the imposed war.⁠[11]

The Army forces from East Azerbaijan were also deployed to the northwest of the country even before the outbreak of the war. Comprising the fifteen battalions under the 1st and 2nd divisions of the Army, they managed to confront separatist groups.⁠[12]

Eighteen days before the start of the imposed war, the 1st and 2nd divisions of the Army were merged to form the 21st Hamzeh Division led by Colonel Zeyn al-Abedin Varshosaz. During the Iran–Iraq War, the 21st Division of the Army took part in numerous operations, including Naderi Bridge, Thamen al-Aemmah (as), Tariq al-Quds, Fath al-Mubin, Beit al-Muqaddas, Ramazan, Muharram, Valfajr 1, Valfajr 3, Valfajr 4, Kheibar, Badr, Karbala 1, and Karbala 6. One of the division’s key actions in the early days of the war was resisting the Iraqi Baath Army’s 3rd Division and preventing the occupation of Abadan. In Operation Fath al-Mubin, the division’s forces also played an important role by constructing a 350-meter underground canal near the Karkheh River that extended close to enemy trenches, contributing significantly to the success of Iranian troops in defeating the enemy.⁠[13] Brigadier General Heshmat Zakeri, Major General Hussain Hassani Saadi, Brigadier General Behrouz Soleimanjah, Brigadier General Houshang Nasseri, Brigadier General Ali Seddiqzadeh, Brigadier General Khosrow Afra, Brigadier General Farzollah Shahin-Rad, and Brigadier General (Second Rank) Ali Razmi were among the notable commanders of the 21st Hamzeh Division.⁠[14]

The Saeidabad, Seyyed al-Shuhada (as), and Fath al-Mubin barracks in East Azerbaijan Province, as well as the Allah Akbar, Shahid Bakeri, and the Army Air Defense barracks in the war zones,⁠[15] were among the main sites for training and deployment of the province’s military forces during the imposed war.

In addition to the military forces present on the battlefronts, the personnel of Jahad-e Sazandegi Organization of East Azerbaijan Province were also active throughout the war. They provided logistical support to the armed forces both on the frontlines and in rear areas by building and repairing roads, constructing defensive and missile bases, building various types of bunkers and earthworks, constructing bathhouses, building and renovating hospitals and emergency centers, establishing prayer halls, setting up and running charity refreshment stations, and repairing vehicles.⁠[16] Furthermore, they contributed to cultural and propagational initiatives during the war, including the distribution of cultural and religious materials and the organization of sports, ideological, and military competitions.⁠[17]

Ayatollah Seyyed Asadollah Madani (martyred; Friday Prayer Leader of Tabriz) was one of the influential figures of East Azerbaijan during the Iran-Iraq War. In his Friday prayer sermons, he repeatedly called on the people to participate in the war and support the Iranian forces. In the very early days of the war, aid-collection headquarters were set up in Tabriz on his initiative, and many packages were sent from East Azerbaijan to the battlefronts. At the same time, he played an important role in calming the social atmosphere of the province, strengthening the spirit of resistance, and confronting separatist groups affiliated with the Muslim People’s Republican Party. While supporting the IRGC and the Basij, Ayatollah Madani sought to promote coordination among popular forces, the IRGC, and the Army. He was ultimately assassinated by the Munafiqeen and came to be known as the “Martyr of Mihrab”.⁠[18]

The popular Basij forces of East Azerbaijan actively participated in the war. They provided large amounts of both cash and in-kind aid for the Iranian troops.⁠[19]

From the very first days of the conflict until the end of the imposed war, Iraqi aircraft repeatedly bombed Tabriz, targeting military and industrial facilities strategic centers, as well as residential and educational districts. These attacks caused not only extensive damage but also led to the martyrdom and displacement of hundreds of civilians. From 1985 onward, other cities of the province, including Maragheh, Azarshahr, and Mianeh, were also targeted by enemy air raids. In many of these attacks, residential areas and schools were deliberately struck, resulting in the martyrdom of hundreds of men, women, and children.⁠[20] One of the most widely reported incidents was the Iraqi air attack on the Zeynabieh and Tharallah girls’ schools in Mianeh city on February 1, 1987, which led to the martyrdom of 68 people and injuries to 150 students.⁠[21] Following this incident, Ayatollah Khamenei (then President of Iran) threatened the Iraqi Baathist regime with a severe response. Iran’s Foreign Minister also sent separate messages to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, criticizing their inaction and calling on them to take a clear stance against Iraq’s crimes. The Supreme Judicial Council likewise issued a message addressed to scholars and jurists in Iran and around the world, urging active measures in response to Iraq’s atrocities.⁠[22]

East Azerbaijan Province also hosted part of the population displaced by the war: around 2,000 war migrants settled in the province. In addition, East Azerbaijan assumed responsibility for the reconstruction and redevelopment of Qasr-e Shirin city.⁠[23]

The number of martyrs from East Azerbaijan Province during the imposed war and in the years that followed up to 2012 is estimated at around 10,000, of whom approximately 3,500 were members of the Army, while the rest belonged to the IRGC, Jahad-e Sazandegi, Basij, and other popular forces.⁠[24]

In the years after the war, military forces from East Azerbaijan continued to take part in various domestic and foreign missions. For instance, they were deployed to Iraq and Syria to confront takfiri groups, during which a number of them were martyred.⁠[25]

Today, Brigadier General (Second Rank) Asghar Abbasqolizadeh serves as commander of the Ashura IRGC Unit,⁠[26] and Brigadier General (Second Rank) Issa Mirzaei commands the 21st Hamzeh Division of Azerbaijan.⁠[27]

Books such as Soleimanjah by Iran Sabz Publications, Lashkar-e Khuban (The Army of the Righteous) by Sooreh Mehr Publications, and Atlas-e Lashkar-e 31 Ashura dar Defa Muqaddas (Atlas of the 31‌^st Ashura Division during the Sacred Defense by Center for Sacred Defense Documents and Research, are among the written works addressing the activities and efforts of the forces from East Azerbaijan Province during the Sacred Defense. The films Ashura and Moqeiyat-e Mahdi (The Position of Mahdi) were also produced based on the life of Commander Mahdi Bakeri (martyred).

The Sacred Defense Garden Museum was opened in Tabriz on a 13,000-square-meter site to introduce the bravery of East Azerbaijan’s armed forces during the imposed war to the people. The complex includes an amphitheater, martyrs’ gallery, fountain, exhibition spaces, a specialized library, and a Hosseiniyeh.⁠[28]

In 2021, the building on Hafez Street in Tabriz that had served as the departure point for sending forces from the province to the warfronts was officially registered as a national heritage site.⁠[29]