Battle of Khorramshahr The Battle of Khorramshahr was a major engagement between Iraq and Iran in the Iran - Iraq War . The battle took place from September 22 to November 10 , 1980 . Known for its brutality and violent conditions , the city came to be known by the Iranians as ‘ Khuninshahr , ’ meaning ‘ City of Blood . ’ Prelude . Prior to the war , the city of Khorramshahr had a population of about 220 , 000 and had grown extensively to become one of the world ' s major port cities , and home to some of the most exclusive neighbourhoods in Iran . The population was predominantly wealthy and upper class , and along with Abadan , the prevalent culture was that of modern Iranian cosmopolitanism . Following the Islamic Revolution in 1979 , elements of Arab anti - government groups began plotting in the Khuzestan province in an effort to join Iraq . Between October and September 1980 , the city saw several incidents of bombings and terrorism amongst the population . This period also saw frequent border violations between Iran and Iraq . In fact , these violations and episodes of violence became so frequent , some locals believed the first days of the war were the result of worsening clashes . Finally , on September 17 , Iraqi president Saddam Hussein declared the 1975 Algiers Agreement null and void , thus setting the countdown to war , which would begin a few days later . In the defense of Khorramshahr , the Iranians prepared a series of dikes on the city outskirts . The first dike held regular soldiers and the second dike held tanks , artillery , and anti - tank weapons . The Dej garrison of the Iranian Army was responsible for much of the city ’ s outer defences with a single company of British - made Chieftain tank s at their disposal . The main command center was based in the " Masjed - Jameh " Grand Mosque at the centre of the city under control of the Pasdaran . Throughout the battle , the mosque acted as a base for coordinating defences and reinforcing troops low on ammunition , food , and water . Women on duty cooked food for exhausted soldiers and provided shelter . Mohammad Jahanara acted as commander of the Pasdaran force in Khorramshahr . Most personnel had little more than fifteen days of training in the beginning . First Phase . In the afternoon of September 22 , Iraq launched its first phase of the invasion through a series of air strikes throughout the country . The customs office of Khorramshahr was among the first targets . Roughly 150 artillery batteries based around the Iraqi town of Tanomah fired the opening salvo . By evening , as the air raids died down , the city lay shrouded in fire and smoke . Basic services such as water and electricity were cut off and tens of thousands of people were executed along the western edge of the city , particularly in the Taleqani district , the rail - road station , and Mowlawi neighborhood . Overnight , 500 Iraqi tanks moved in towards the Khorramshahr - Ahvaz road . Outposts surrounding the city fell , but Iranian defenders managed to hold back several Iraqi tanks using recoilless rifle s . While most of these outposts fell to Iraqi mechanized divisions by early morning , September 23 , they gave the Iranians enough time to prepare defenses in and around the city . The Iraqis then proceeded to surround Khorramshahr in a crescent - like formation . The third and fourth day of the invasion consisted of Iraqi forces trying to capture and hold the Khorramshahr - Ahvaz road . However , the Iraqis faced a difficult enemy by the Iranian forces returning incessantly with rocket - propelled grenade s and 106 - millimeter guns . A large part of the Dej garrison was wiped out , but the battle contributed to the slow advance of the Iraqi forces . By September 30 , however , the Iraqis had cleared most of the dikes and captured the area around the city , cutting it off from both Abadan and the rest of the Khuzestan province . With this in their hands , the Iraqis stood at the gates of Khorramshahr . At sunrise , a unit of sixty commandos became the first of thousands of Iraqi forces to enter Khorramshahr via the southernmost port . This force was repulsed by a number of Pasdaran defenders , eight of whom were killed . Even with this news , tanks and mechanized units of the Iraqi 3rd Division moved into the city later that day . One force moved in to occupy a slaughterhouse , another to take the railway station , and another to secure the Dej barracks in the Taleqani district . The Pasdaran awaited the Iraqis at these positions with rocket propelled grenades and Molotov cocktail s . It was in the suburbs that the Iraqi attack stalled when they encountered Chieftain tanks . Local counter attacks by Pasdaran anti - tank teams turned back the Iraqi forces at several points . Later reports indicated in - fighting amongst Iraqi units , a sign of weakness for poorly trained conscripts . The sheer weight of the Iraqi tank force was effective against the anti - tank teams , but when Iranian armour was encountered , it stopped attacks cold . After fierce fighting , the Iraqis briefly occupied the slaughterhouse and the railway station , but were repulsed back to previous positions on the outskirts of the city . Second Phase . In response to the first assault ’ s heavy losses , the Iraqis recuperated on the outskirts of the city until their next attack on October 11 . During that time , the Iraqis mercilessly shelled the city , under orders from Iraqi Colonel Ahmad Zeidan . The high command decided to send in additional commando units with armour providing backup . On October 14 , the Iraqis moved in once again , using the element of night attacks to advance troops , gain surprise , and place observation points in tall buildings . The Iranians would often use snipers at night , which bogged down the invading Iraqis . Due to repeated assaults of combined arms , the Iraqis managed to overtake the Iranian Chieftain tanks and Pasdaran units . With these tactics , the Iraqis achieved significant results with Special Forces and Commando units seizing the port and traffic police station . Armoured brigades seized the Dej barracks in the Taleqani district and gained control of the main highway leading to the Grand Mosque . Battles were often fought house - to - house , floor - to - floor , and room - to - room . Reports indicate that Iraqis would at times encounter Pasdaran and Basij units armed with anything from assault rifles to sticks and knives . Third Phase . The city centre in their sights by October 21 , the Iraqis turned their objectives to seizing both the Government building and the bridge linking Khorramshahr to Abadan . In all , five battalions of infantry and Special Forces were to take part in seizing these objectives . The main initiative of the attack was to take these targets within forty - eight hours and effectively take control of Khorramshahr . The forces dispatched in the early hours of October 24 . Iranian forces fought viciously against the Iraqi invaders , but the bridge fell within five hours . Towards the Government building , Iraqi armour encountered heavy resistance in the surrounding streets and neighbourhoods . As the fighting moved closer toward the city center , Iranian Chieftains were reduced to a supporting role , since the tanks couldn ’ t fire as effectively through the tight and narrow streets . Dwindling ammunition and exhaustion also began to wear down the Iranian foot soldiers . By the late afternoon of the 24th , the Iraqis briefly seized the Government building . They were surrounded and repulsed by Iranian forces , but counter attacked during the night , effectively seizing control of the building . All that remained was the Grand Mosque and a handful of Pasdaran and youth volunteers . Army and Pasdaran commanders began to issue final evacuation orders with warnings of impending air strikes by the Iranian Air Force . Over the night of October 25 and 26 , the remainders of the Iranian defenders proceeded to evacuate towards the Karun River . Iraqi artillery shelled them in their flight , but some youth volunteers stayed behind to cover their retreat . By early morning of November 10 , the city of Khorramshahr was effectively under Iraqi control . Afterward . The city practically became a ghost town with the exception of the Iraqi army occupants . Immediately after the start of the occupation , soldiers looted goods from the Iranian ports , including water faucets , and had them transferred to Basra . According to other claims , soldiers raped several Iranian women in the city as well . Iraqi soldiers also reportedly set up iron beams and upright cars in the event of an airborne assault by Iranian paratroopers . Due to both the strategically high loss of men and the harsh weather following the battle , the Iraqis were unable to conduct any further offensives against Iran . The city remained in Iraqi hands until April 1982 , when the Iranians launched Operation Beit ol - Moqaddas to recapture the Khuzestan province . Khorramshahr had been completely devastated by Saddam Hussein ' s forces , with very few buildings left intact . Other major urban centres such as Abadan and Ahvaz were also left in ruins , though nowhere nearly as bad as Khorramshahr . Even decades after the war ' s end , some buildings remain in ruins as testimony to those who fought . Graffiti remains on the walls in spots , reading " We come to Stay Forever . " The city of Khorramshahr was one of the primary and most important front lines of the war and has thus achieved mythic status amongst the Iranian population . Historic Figures . Pasdaran commander , Mohammed Jahanara , was one of the last few soldiers to leave Khorramshahr when it fell to the Iraqis . He would go on to fight in the siege of Abadan and lead Iranian forces to liberate Khorramshahr . He died before the city was liberated on May 24 . A song was later written in commemoration , saying , " Mamad , you ' re not here to see that our town is free . " The battle of Khorramshahr also saw the beginning of Iran ’ s campaign of recruiting child soldiers , inspired mainly by the martyrdom of Mohammed Hossein Fahmideh on October 30 . It was also at this battle that four Iranian women were detained by Iraqi forces , one on the front lines and the other three in the city proper . The four women were the only female Iranian prisoners of war during the Iran - Iraq War .