Ilam Province is located in western Iran, and during the Iran– Iraq War, parts of it were occupied and repeatedly targeted by Iraqi ground and air attacks. The province borders Khuzestan and Iraq to the south, Lorestan to the east, Kermanshah to the north, and Iraq to the west. It consists of ten counties— Dehloran, Mehran, Badreh, Darreh-Shahr, Moosian, Ivan, Ilam, Malekshahi, Sirvan, and Abdanan.⁠[1] Ilam shares a 430‑kilometer border with Iraq.⁠[2]

Ilam Province lies in a mountainous and semi‑warm region. The northern areas have a mountainous and partly forested climate, while the south consists of wide plains. It is known for holding over 90 percent of western Iran’ s oil and gas resources and around 11 percent of the country’ s total known oil and gas reserves.⁠[3]

Between 1968 and 1974, the Iraqi government provoked more than a hundred border clashes in regions such as Mehran, Meimak, Moosian, and Fakkeh, most of them targeting border posts.⁠[4] In 1979, Iraq repeatedly carried out border provocations in Ilam and attempted to win over local tribes and border residents by offering money and weapons. By June 1980, clashes along the border had intensified.⁠[5]

On September 10, 1980, Iraq sought to achieve its initial objectives by capturing the Meimak Heights and occupying the Ney‑Khezr and Halaleh border posts. On September 22, 1980, Iraq officially invaded Iran, aiming to seize key areas— especially the strategic Ilam– Mehran and Dehloran– Dezful roads— and to cut Iranian military connections between the central and southern fronts.⁠[6]

Mehran, which lies close to the Iraqi capital, was occupied on September 24.⁠[7] One of Iraq’ s main goals in capturing central‑front cities such as Mehran, Qasr‑e Shirin, and Sarpol‑e Zahab was to control the surrounding heights and keep Baghdad safe from Iranian artillery fire.⁠[8] Iranian forces restored security to the Saleh‑Abad– Mehran Road through Operation Kani‑Sakht on September 29, 1980.

The people of Ilam engaged in Operation Moosian on October 5, 1980, in the Dehloran– Moosian region, during which several local defenders were martyred.⁠[9] After the Iraqi invasion, the people of Ilam— especially the tribes, who were familiar with the enemy’ s infiltration routes— mobilized spontaneously to defend the region. At first, they operated as small independent groups on hills and outposts, which eventually led to the formation of organized battalions, the first of which was named the Muharram Battalion. Later, the Malek‑Ashtar Battalion was formed from the Malekshahi and Shohan tribes in the central front of Mehran. On March 8, 1987, this battalion was upgraded to the 11th Amir al‑Momenin (as) Division.⁠[10]

Operation Zarbat‑e Zulfaqar was launched on January 9, 1981, under Army command with the participation of the 1st Brigade of the 81st Armored Division, Army Aviation, the Ilam Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and tribal Basij forces, aiming to recapture the Meimak Heights. In this operation, 200 square kilometers of occupied territory were liberated.⁠[11]

Iraq carried out its first chemical attack on January 13, 1981, in an area between Halaleh and Ney‑Khezr, 50 kilometers west of Ilam. Facing no serious opposition from the UN Security Council or international organizations, Iraq expanded the use of chemical weapons in subsequent operations.⁠[12]

In late September 1981, during Operation Thamen al‑Aemmah (as), the city of Mehran was liberated from Iraqi occupation.⁠[13] Operation Fath al‑Mubin was carried out on March 22, 1982, in southern Ilam (Dehloran) and northern Khuzestan, connecting the central and southern fronts and liberating key roads such as Dehloran– Dezful, Ein‑Khosh, Chemsari, Mehran– Dehloran, and the Abu‑Gharib Pass southwest of Dehloran.⁠[14]

Operation Muharram began on November 1, 1982, west of the Dovayrij River in southwestern Dehloran, with the aim of recapturing key border areas and several oil fields. Conducted jointly by the IRGC and the Army over ten days and four axes, Iranian forces liberated about 700 square kilometers of the country’ s territory and 300 square kilometers of Iraqi territory, including the Zubeidat, Sherhani, and Abu‑Gharib posts, as well as 70 oil wells.⁠[15]

Operation Valfajr 3 was launched on July 29, 1983, with 26 IRGC and 7 Army battalions to liberate Mehran, but it failed. However, on August 9, 1983, with the participation of the 27th Muhammad Rasulullah (pbuh) Division, more than 60 square kilometers of the Mehran region and the Mehran– Ilam Road were liberated, reconnecting the central and southern fronts that Iraq had cut in the early days of the war.⁠[16] Abbas Aqaei, commander of the Marivan IRGC, was martyred in Sumar on February 3, 1984.⁠[17]

Operation Valfajr 5 took place on February 16, 1984, in the Changooleh region southwest of Mehran, between Mehran and Dehloran. The operation aimed to liberate key areas and deceive the enemy ahead of Operation Kheibar. Following limited diversionary attacks, Iranian forces successfully liberated several important locations, including Band‑e Pir‑Ali, the Changooleh highlands, Chagha‑Askar, Abbas‑Azim, the northern border posts, and Heights 230. In addition, about 30 square kilometers of Iranian territory were recaptured.⁠[18]

Operation Valfajr 6 was launched on February 21, 1984, in the Chilat region south of Dehloran to control the Baghdad– Amarah– Basra Road. It resulted in the liberation of border heights overlooking Ali‑Gharbi and the strategic Tayyeb– Ali‑Gharbi supply route.⁠[19] A few months later, Operation Ashura was launched on October 17, 1984. The Army units, operating under the command of the IRGC, managed to liberate the northern highlands and western slopes of Meimak. In addition, more than 40 square kilometers of occupied land were freed, including key heights such as Fasil, Garkani, Kuh‑e Gach, Kameh‑Kaf, and the Garkani border posts, as well as the main border road.⁠[20]

Iranian forces took the Do-Qoloo Heights and Peak 145 in Operation Ashura 2, carried out on August 15, 1985, in the Changooleh region south of Mehran.⁠[21]

On April 30, 1986, Iraq attacked the Hamrin Mountain chain and the Cham‑Sari and Cham‑Hendi heights southwest of Moosian. However, the 10th Seyyed al‑Shuhada (as) Brigade forced them to retreat.⁠[22]

Iraqi troops reoccupied Mehran on May 17, 1986, but Iran liberated it less than two months later during Operation Karbala 1, launched on June 30, 1986.⁠[23]

The region between Dehloran and Meimak contained rugged highlands and steep ravines that limited Iraqi armored maneuverability. Therefore, Iraq deployed irregular fighters known as Fursan, strong loyalists of the Shah from the Avroman region. They infiltrated Iranian rear areas, created fear, ambushed roads, and killed military forces and civilians, cutting off their right ears as proof. Their activity peaked between 1984 and 1986, especially between Dehloran and Meimak, from the Meimeh River to Changooleh and Mehran.⁠[24]

Operation Nasr 2 began on June 3, 1987, in western Ilam, where Iranian forces liberated the western Meimak Heights, known as the “ Naf‑e Meimak”. These highlands provided deep visibility and control over Iraqi territory, especially the Mandali– Zurbatiyah and Badreh routes.⁠[25]

Operation Nasr 6 was launched on August 1, 1987, with six Army brigades to liberate parts of Halaleh. Iranian forces captured parts of the Meimak Heights in addition to hills 670, 642, Kalleh‑Qandi, and part of the Shuhada Ridge.⁠[26]

On June 18, 1988, the Munafiqeen seized Mehran by carrying out Operation Chelcheragh, but the city was liberated again just three days later.⁠[27]

Throughout the eight‑year Iran-Iraq War, Iraq carried out about 294 airstrikes across Ilam Province, resulting in 993 martyrs and 2,463 wounded.⁠[28]

After Iran accepted UN Resolution 598, Iraq launched another attack on July 19, 1988, from four axes and reoccupied parts of Ilam. Subsequently, the people of Ilam joined the defense under the 11th Amir al‑Momenin (as) Division across the Ivan, Saleh‑Abad– Ilam, Mehran, and Dehloran axes, eventually pushing Iraqi troops back and liberating the occupied areas.⁠[29]

Reconstruction of war‑damaged areas in Ilam Province took place in two phases. The first was during the war, before the ceasefire, when the Zanjan Provincial Headquarters, together with the Reconstruction and Renovation Headquarters of the Housing Foundation, began rebuilding Ilam in 1985. The second phase began after the ceasefire, when reconstruction became a major government priority and new reconstruction headquarters started operating in 1990.⁠[30]

After the Iran-Iraq War, memorials were built across the Ilam Province, including the Ahmad Keshvari Memorial at the entrance of Tang‑e Bina, the Tappeh‑Sheni and Qalavizan Martyrs’ Memorials near Mehran, the Banrooshan Memorial near Ilam, the Kumail and Hanzaleh Canal Memorials, the Sherhani Memorial, and the Seyyed al‑Shuhada (as) Memorial in Dehloran.⁠[31]

According to the 2016 census, Ilam Province has a population of 580,158.⁠[32]