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Hormuz: The untold story of the Strait, part III

The Strait of Hormuz

In 1979, with the victory of the Islamic revolution, the Iranian army was undergoing a purge and transformation, but the navy suffered less damage.

Saddam Hussein in Baghdad saw this as an opportunity to avenge the past humiliation by attacking on September 22, 1980, and gaining control of the Strait of Hormuz and its islands, but his calculations were wrong.

After the destruction of the Iraqi navy in Operation Pearl, Saddam began the tanker war by renting French Super Etendards and Exocet missiles and attacking Iranian ships.

In response to this threat, Iran reversed the equation with fast boats and asymmetric tactics, sinking three Iraqi ships for every Iranian ship. Kuwait and Iraq were paralyzed, drawing Arab leaders to the Persian Gulf.

In 1987, the US Navy intervened, and Iran began a popular mobilization toward the Persian Gulf to secure the Strait of Hormuz. The question is, will the US allow the equation to change permanently?


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