Australian peacekeepers in Iran and Iraq with UNIIMOG 1988 to 1990

A long history of conflict

For centuries, there was conflict between Iran and Iraq, stemming from differences between the Persian and Arab cultures, as well as those between Shia and Sunni Islam. This was still an issue in the 1970s. A Western-oriented, US-backed monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, ruled Iran. Iraq was governed by a secular pan-Arabist party backed by the Soviet Union. There were disputes over land, including the Shatt al-Arab river.

The Iranian Revolution in 1979, which overthrew the Shah, changed the dynamic in the region. Iran's new leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, opposed both the US and Soviet Union. Iraq's President Saddam Hussein was concerned that Iran was interfering in Iraq, especially after Shiite activists tried to assassinate Iraq's deputy prime minister. He claimed that a 1975 treaty between the 2 countries was signed under duress and that Iran was stirring up dissidents in Iraq. He also claimed that Iran had not returned certain border areas as they'd agreed to in the 1975 treaty. After 2 weeks of border skirmishes, Iraqi forces invaded Iran on 22 September 1980.

United Nations attempts to end the war

The UN attempted to end the war, with the Secretary-General offering to mediate a settlement. On 28 September 1980, UN Security Council Resolution 479 called upon Iran and Iraq to stop using force and settle their dispute peacefully. This resolution had little effect.

On 11 November, former Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme became the Secretary-General's Special Representative to Iran and Iraq. Between 1980 and 1984, missions to the region addressed the issues of the targeting of civilians, chemical weapons and prisoners of war in both countries.

In 1984, the UN sent one team to Baghdad (Iraq) and one to Tehran (Iran). It included 3 military officers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) and a senior UN official. In 1986 and 1987, the war escalated, and airstrikes on oil tankers and merchant shipping increased.

On 20 July 1987, after 6 months of consultations, the Security Council adopted Resolution 598. It called for a ceasefire and for the 2 countries to work with the UN to end the conflict. Iraq welcomed the resolution, but it took almost a year of negotiations before Iran agreed. On 8 August 1988, the Secretary-General wrote to the Permanent Representatives of Iran and Iraq. He confirmed they had each agreed to talks, and that Resolution 598 had been implemented.

Between 25 July and 2 August 1988, the UN visited Iraq and Iran. Helped by the teams it had deployed in 1984, UN officials held detailed discussions with political and military authorities about the operation of the military observer group.

During the 8-year war, Australia attempted to remain neutral and even-handed. Despite allies like the US and the UK appearing to favour Iraq, the war was not a major focus for Australia.

United Nations Iran–Iraq Military Observer Group

The UN established the United Nations Iran–Iraq Military Observer Group (UNIIMOG) on 9 August 1988. This happened after Iran and Iraq agreed to a ceasefire from 3 am GMT on 20 August. They also agreed the 2 countries would begin talks in Geneva on 25 August 1988.

Between August 1988 and February 1991, 400 military personnel from 27 countries took part in UNIIMOG. Major General Slavko Jovic from Yugoslavia was the Chief Military Officer. There were 2 detachments, one in Iraq and one in Iran, both led by Assistant Chief Military Officers (ACMOs). Brigadier General James Kelly from the Republic of Ireland was the ACMO in Iran.

UNIIMOG's role was to:

• monitor compliance with the ceasefire
• investigate alleged violations and restore the situation
• supervise, verify, and confirm the withdrawal of forces to the international boundary.

Deploying forces along the 1,400 km ceasefire line was logistically challenging. The terrain along the line varied from desert with daytime temperatures over 50℃ in summer to mountains with overnight lows below zero in winter.

The planners had an extra challenge. Each Command team needed members from different countries to achieve 'national balance', with command and senior staff tasks shared between all nations. As such, Australians did not serve in the same teams.

The biggest obstacle was the Iranian authorities. They wouldn't allow the UN to fly its own helicopters in Iranian airspace. They were also slow to issue licence plates and driver's licences, so UN vehicles sat at Tehran airport for over a year.

Australia's involvement in UNIIMOG

AWM P01713.001

Australia announced it would commit military observers on 11 August 1988, starting with the temporary secondment of an UNTSO observer.

This was the fourth time Australia had sent peacekeepers to the Middle East. Australians were also peacekeepers in:

• the Middle East with UNTSO, from 1956
• Sinai with UNEF II, from 1973 to 1979
• Sinai with MFO, from 1982

On 16 August, the first 15-person contingent left Australia for Iran. Australia sent 4 contingents of 15 personnel. Each spent about 6 months in Iran.

AWM P01713.005

The first Australian contingent

Australia put together the first contingent to Iran quickly, including 5 majors and 9 captains. Many of the officers were quite junior, as some officers were reluctant to volunteer. The commander, Lieutenant Colonel Kerry Gallagher, was the last person selected. He had served in Vietnam and had visited Tehran and Baghdad earlier that year. He was also the only one who had experienced active service.

On arrival, the contingent stayed at the Esteghlal Hotel (former Tehran Hilton). Captain Chris Burns briefed them. He was part of the UNTSO team tasked with establishing headquarters and team sites.

Initially, communication and supplies were limited. The country was still affected by the revolution and 8 years of war. Tehran was known as the 'city of cranes'. While most had been idle since before the revolution, mobile cranes were wheeled out every Friday to hang suspected spies and other counter-revolutionaries.

Role of the Australian observers in Iran

AWM P09592.003

Australian peacekeepers served on the Iranian side of the border because Iraq had forbidden any Australian peacekeepers from being in its territory. This was because an Australian government scientist, Dr Peter Dunn, had been a member of the UN team that conducted 3 inspections between 1984 and 1987, proving Iraq had used chemical weapons.

The Australian officers were valued for their individual military skills, navigation and landmine awareness. It was a stressful experience in a dangerous and difficult cultural and political environment. They sometimes came under fire, and several were involved in landmine accidents, but there were no Australian casualties.

Living conditions at the team sites varied but were usually uncomfortable. Camps were in old schools, office buildings and portable cabins. Food was a basic diet provided by the Iranians, and there weren't any options to buy other supplies. Alcohol was completely banned. Mail was slow and Iranian censors would often black out pictures of women with bare arms, legs or heads.

Experiences of Australians in Iran

Captain Craig Orme was a 30-year armoured corps officer serving on the southern Iran–Iraq border. He heard the Iranians were threatening to fire on Iraq over an alleged violation and went to investigate with another officer. When the Iranians lined up a tank and a platoon of soldiers with rocket launchers, the other officer left Orme to negotiate.

He shot through to about 400 m away with our vehicle, leaving me with the tank and the Iranians. A real mate in a crisis!

[Captain Craig Orme, quoted in Australia and the New World Order: Volume 2, The Official History of Australian Peacekeeping, Humanitarian and Post-Cold War Operations.]

At one stage, the barrel of the tank's gun was resting between Orme and the senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard officer. It was very tense as Orme tried to diffuse the situation.

Eventually we were able to have the tank removed to calm things. I might add that I was walking around slowly as we were having our discussions to hide the fact my legs were shaking!

[Captain Craig Orme, quoted in Australia and the New World Order: Volume 2, The Official History of Australian Peacekeeping, Humanitarian and Post-Cold War Operations.]

Orme was not the only Australian to come under fire. Most soldiers were shot at or threatened. But the greatest danger was from unmarked landmines and unexploded ordnance. The roads were dangerous, and the Iranians drove at top speed, not following the rules. At least 2 Australian officers were in serious vehicle accidents.

The observers also supervised the repatriation of war dead. Some were as young as 8 years old, and some had been mummified or semi-mummified by the salt marshes. Between August 1988 and June 1989, Iran and Iraq exchanged 2,500 bodies.

AWM P09592.006

I was pretty circumspect about it. I was definitely excited to go and I wanted to go. There was no question of that. But I didn't have any illusions. I knew that it was going to be risky.

[Captain Luke Carroll, quoted in Department of Veterans' Affairs, World Wide Effort: Australia's Peacekeepers, August 2022]

Captain Luke Carroll was one of the Australian soldiers who served in Iran. He saw an Iranian soldier killed by a landmine when their patrol was led off an established path during a line inspection. Carroll served on the Iran–Iraq border with observers from several countries, including India, Italy, Finland, Uruguay, Argentina and Nigeria.

It was a pretty eclectic little group and it was good fun. It was sometimes very, very funny, very funny.

[Captain Luke Carroll, quoted in Department of Veterans' Affairs, World Wide Effort: Australia's Peacekeepers, August 2022]

Although the peacekeepers were generally welcomed, some elements of the population opposed their presence.

There were a couple of occasions where I had interactions with some Iranian people and it was a very positive experience and it was a social interaction. The contrast to that was that on separate occasions I got abused in the street. I was threatened with assassination and told that I could be reached. Basically they could get to me anytime, anywhere.

[Captain Luke Carroll, quoted in Department of Veterans' Affairs, World Wide Effort: Australia's Peacekeepers, August 2022]

Some Iranians' distrust and antagonistic attitude towards foreigners became clear when, on 14 February 1989, Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa (an Islamic legal ruling) ordering the execution of British author Salman Rushdie in response to his book The Satanic Verses.

Under the fatwa, Iran expelled all British members of UNIIMOG. Many Australians removed the flag badges on their uniform because the Union Jack in the corner of the Australian flag may have attracted abuse.

In February 1990, the Australian Ambassador to Iran, Michael Landale, reviewed the success of UNIIMOG. While it had stopped some military activity, it had been powerless to prevent strategic flooding and the capping of Iraqi oil wells by Iran. He said the Iranians disliked having foreign soldiers in their country. It hurt their pride, and they worried about Western espionage.

AWM P01713.007

Withdrawal

On 2 August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, and President Saddam Hussein withdrew Iraqi forces from the occupied areas of Iran, formally ending the war. UNIIMOG had failed to resolve the conflict, but it had stopped the resumption of fighting until outside events intervened. One Australian observer described UNIIMOG as 'a tactical disaster and a strategic success'.

The last Australian observers departed Iran on 7 December 1990. UNIIMOG completed its mandate on 28 February 1991.

Commemoration

National Peacekeepers' Day

On 14 September each year, we observe National Peacekeepers' Day. It's the anniversary of the day Australia became the world's first peacekeepers to deploy into the field, in the Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia) in 1947. It’s a day to recognise the important work of those who have served, and continue to serve, in the name of global peace.

Learn more about Australia's peacekeeping missions since 1947.

International Day of UN Peacekeepers

29 May is a day of commemoration and acknowledgement of all military, police and civilian personnel who have served as peacekeepers with the UN. Since UN peacekeeping began, more than 4,000 peacekeepers from many countries have lost their lives while performing their duties under the UN flag.

AWM REL31509