AHC make Iraq win the Iran-Iraq War

raharris1973

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Iraq won the war, by a nose.

From a subjective point of view, the Iraqis felt they had won and the Iranians felt they had lost.

"At this point, elements of the Iranian leadership, led by Rafsanjani (who had initially pushed for the extension of the war), persuaded Khomeini to accept the ceasefire.[48] They stated that in order to win the war, Iran's military budget would have to be increased by 700% and the war would last until 1993.[144] On 20 July 1988, Iran accepted Resolution 598, showing its willingness to accept a ceasefire.[48]:11 A statement from Khomeini was read out in a radio address, and he expressed deep displeasure and reluctance about accepting the ceasefire,

Happy are those who have departed through martyrdom. Happy are those who have lost their lives in this convoy of light. Unhappy am I that I still survive and have drunk the poisoned chalice...[48][49]:1

The news of the end of the war was greeted with celebration in Baghdad, with people dancing in the streets; in Tehran, however, the end of the war was greeted with a somber mood.[49]:1"

In terms of ground too:
"With the ceasefire in place, and UN peacekeepers monitoring the border, Iran and Iraq sent their representatives to Geneva, 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 7,800 square kilometres (3,000 sq mi) of disputed territory at the border area unless the Iranians accepted Iraq's full sovereignty over the Shatt al-Arab waterway."

However, Saddam's invasion of Kuwait and the threat of war against him in 1990 made Saddam concede one of his core demands at that point, thus conceding anything won back to the Iranians:

"Shortly after his invasion of Kuwait, Saddam wrote a letter to Rafsanjani stating that Iraq recognised Iranian rights over the eastern half of the Shatt al-Arab, a reversion to status quo ante bellum that he had repudiated a decade earlier,[166] and that he would accept Iran's demands and withdraw Iraq's military from the disputed territories. A peace agreement was signed finalizing the terms of the UN resolution, diplomatic relations were restored, and by late 1990-early 1991, the Iraqi military withdrew."
 
When is your POD? It seems to me that the best way to make Iraq win the war is a weaker, more divided Iran. It may be as simple as delay, or an accelerated timetable for the Ayatollahs that triggers a civil war or a greater degree of incompetence or a weaker government more prone to counter-revolution.
 
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