This disastrous war caused around 105,000–200,000 Iraq people killed including 400,000 people wounded and 70,000 prisoners. The prisoners which had been taken were released in 1990. Also the cities of both countries were very damaged. While revolutionary Iran had been bloodied, Iraq was left with a large military and was a regional power with severe debt and financial problems.
According to Iranian government sources, the war cost Iran an estimated 200,000–220,000 killed, including 11,000-16,000 civilians, 123,220 combatants 35,170 soldiers from regular military.
Both Iraq and Iran manipulated loss figures to suit their purposes.
Iran and Iraq sent their representatives to Switzerland, to negotiate a peace agreement on the terms of the ceasefire. However, peace talks stalled. Iraq, in violation of the UN ceasefire, refused to withdraw its troops from 3,000 square miles Iranian territory unless the Iranians accepted Iraq's full sovereignty over the Shatt al-Arab waterway. Foreign powers continued to support Iraq, which wanted to gain at the negotiating table what they failed to achieve on the battlefield, and Iran was portrayed as the one who was not wanting peace. In response to this, Iran refused to release 70,000 prisoners of war, and they also improved relations with many of the states that opposed them during the war. Because of Iranian actions, by 1990, Saddam had become more conciliatory, and in a letter to the now President Rafsanjani, he became more open to the idea of a peace agreement, although he still insisted on full sovereignty over the Shatt al-Arab waterway.
By 1990, Iran was undergoing military rearmament and reorganization, purchasing from the USSR and China $10 billion worth of heavy weaponry. Saddam realized that if Iran wanted to expell the Iraqis from their territory, it was likely they would suceed. Saddam wrote a letter to Rafsanjani stating that Iraq recognised Iranian rights over the eastern half of the Shatt al-Arab and that he would accept Iran's demands and withdraw Iraq's military from Iran.
According to Iranian government sources, the war cost Iran an estimated 200,000–220,000 killed, including 11,000-16,000 civilians, 123,220 combatants 35,170 soldiers from regular military.
Both Iraq and Iran manipulated loss figures to suit their purposes.
Iran and Iraq sent their representatives to Switzerland, to negotiate a peace agreement on the terms of the ceasefire. However, peace talks stalled. Iraq, in violation of the UN ceasefire, refused to withdraw its troops from 3,000 square miles Iranian territory unless the Iranians accepted Iraq's full sovereignty over the Shatt al-Arab waterway. Foreign powers continued to support Iraq, which wanted to gain at the negotiating table what they failed to achieve on the battlefield, and Iran was portrayed as the one who was not wanting peace. In response to this, Iran refused to release 70,000 prisoners of war, and they also improved relations with many of the states that opposed them during the war. Because of Iranian actions, by 1990, Saddam had become more conciliatory, and in a letter to the now President Rafsanjani, he became more open to the idea of a peace agreement, although he still insisted on full sovereignty over the Shatt al-Arab waterway.
By 1990, Iran was undergoing military rearmament and reorganization, purchasing from the USSR and China $10 billion worth of heavy weaponry. Saddam realized that if Iran wanted to expell the Iraqis from their territory, it was likely they would suceed. Saddam wrote a letter to Rafsanjani stating that Iraq recognised Iranian rights over the eastern half of the Shatt al-Arab and that he would accept Iran's demands and withdraw Iraq's military from Iran.
Finally, a peace agreement was signed and the diplomatic relations were restored and also, in 1991 the Iraqi military ended up leaving from Iranian territory, and also most of the prisoners were released, but some of them stayed and were finally released in 2003.
The financial loss at the time was believed to exceed US$500 billion for each country, so it was a completely disaster.
Most historians and analysts consider the war to be a stalemate, others say that it was Iraq/Iran who won it.
I personally think it will never be known, but we can all say, that it was a big disaster and it ruined a lot of people. And also that, like many other wars, it was not necessary.