Eight years of war between Iran and Iraq include a sustained campaign against commercial shipping and oil terminals in the Gulf, drawing in reflagging arrangements and external naval escorts.
Why it mattersThis is the direct precedent for 2026 and not merely an analogy: attacks on merchant shipping, insurance and reflagging as instruments, and outside navies in the Gulf were all established here. The Security Council's own 2026 resolution recalls its 1984 response to it.
Confidence: HighSources: Established historical record · Congressional Research Service — Iran, the Gulf and the Strait of HormuzMethodologyCorrections
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