TEHRAN – Endurance and companionship demonstrated by Iranian women during the Iran-Iraq war is unprecedented in the world’s history.

The contemporary history of Iran has witnessed the comprehensive and active presence of Iranian women in various defense, martial, political, and social scenes; Women who are willing to give up their emotions for their ideals and beliefs.

During the imposed war by ex-Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein on Iran (1980–88) [known as Sacred Defense in Iran], Iranian women played a very effective role, regardless of their restrictions and physical situation.

In addition to their presence behind the scenes of the war to provide key logistical support, some other women who had learned military training also fought on the front lines against the Ba'athists shoulder to shoulder with men. 

Women who were active behind the scene of the war handed over their jewelry and precious belongings to the combatants and participated in political, social, and cultural activities.

Although women combatants were fewer in numbers in comparison to male combatants throughout the Sacred Defense era, history tells us that the presence of men on the battlefields was not the only factor that secured victory for Iran.

Some Iranian women were present in the border cities during the invasion of the Iraqi army in the early days of the war and defended the cities along with men and some of them took up their presence on the battlefield due to necessity.

In this regard, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in his message to Congress "7,000 Martyred Iranian Women" pointed to the role of women in the Sacred Defense era, saying, "Muslim Iranian women have opened a new chapter in history for women throughout the world and they proved that it is possible to be a woman, to be modest, to wear hijab, to be noble and at the same time to play a pivotal role and make great achievements." (Mar 6, 2013)

When the war began on September 22, 1980, Iraqi armed forces invaded western Iran along the countries’ joint border. Iraq’s troops captured the city of Khorramshahr but failed to take the important oil-refining center of Abadan. By December 1980 the Iraqi offensive had bogged down about 50–75 miles (80–120 km) inside Iran after meeting unexpectedly strong Iranian resistance. In May 1982, Iranian forces recaptured Khorramshahr.

During this period, some Iranian women remained in Khorramshahr and Abadan after the Iraqi invasion and volunteered to participate in defending the cities. Driven by revolutionary zeal or by their patriotism, each acted independently and disregarded all gender lines.

Women who lived in the war zone weren’t the only women to volunteer to fight immediately following Iraq’s invasion. Those females who lived far from the calamities also devoted their time and property. Women of villages and cities such as Shalamcheh, Susangerd, Khorramshahr, and Abadan that were directly attacked found themselves with the only option to fend for themselves regardless of the prospects. For these women, not defending their towns meant bearing the consequences of remaining passive, including captivity, rape, death, or a combination thereof.

The presence of Iranian women on the battlefield and the front lines of the war included nursing and providing aid to the wounded, direct participation in war operations, and war photography and journalism.

Some 500 Iranian women reportedly fought as combatants during the war. Official figures say nearly 25,000 female doctors, nurses, and aid workers also served on the front lines.

Statistics show that 6,428 Iranian women were martyred during the imposed war that most of them were martyred in the bombings of the cities. According to the Martyr Foundation and Veterans Affairs of Iran, 500 of the martyrs were women combatants.

Shahnaz Haji Shah was 26 years old in September 1980 when she was martyred by an Iraqi mortar in Khoramshahr near the border with Iraq.

Just before she was martyred, Haji Shah saved the life of a wounded Iranian soldier. According to accounts by her relatives, she was struck in the heart by a mortar fragment as she was rushing towards a house that had been shelled to try to help anyone inside.

"The women martyrs, disabled war veterans, and former prisoners of war are a manifestation of one of the highest peaks of glory for the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic," Ayatollah Khamenei said in a message delivered to officials of the National Congress in honor of 17,000 women martyrs, disabled war veterans and former prisoners of war. (March 9, 202)

The Leader also in another message released on Mar 6, 2013, discussed the outstanding role of martyred Iranian women in changing the course of history, saying, "The blood of these martyrs has made new power and attraction appear in the present era. Sooner or later, this will influence the fate and position of women throughout the world."

Also, according to some reports, up to 170 Iranian women were prisoners of war in Iraqi custody.

Khadijeh Mirshkar was the first Iranian captive woman who returned to Iran after about 2 years of captivity in Iraq. She was arrested by Iraqi forces in Susangerd in the early days of the war. Mirshkari was seriously injured when she was captured by the Iraqis and spent difficult days in the Iraqi camps.

Although some of these captured women were eventually officially recognized as prisoners of war for the full or partial duration of their captivity, some had a less-distinct diplomatic status because Saddam Hussein’s government concealed their identity and secretly imprisoned them in that country’s military intelligence detention centers.