General Outcomes of the War
The war had lasted eight years making it the longest conventional war in the 20th century, being longer than both the world wars. The war claimed the lives of more than 1,250,000 people and resulted in no official change. Neither Iraq nor Iran achieved their wartime goals and there were no reparations paid. As a whole the conflict is key in understanding the destabilization of the region and drastically contributed to the sectarian violence which has become common place. The war substantially weakened both Iran and Iraq and thus strengthened the position of Israel , and later Saudi Arabia, the formr of which briefly sided with Iran during the war in part to prolong the conflict.
Iraq
After the war Iraq was burdened with about $80 billion in debt, about twice its GDP. The cost in human life was at least 200,000 for a nation of only 17 million. Much of this debt was owed to its Arab neighbors. With a huge debt and the accusations of Kuwait slant drilling into Iraqi oil depositories, Saddam Hussein then invaded and annex Kuwait in 1990, again attempting to solve a dispute through force. Early in the year he sent a thinly veiled threat to King Hussein of Jordan and President Mubarak of Egypt requesting $30 billion more in loans for the reconstruction of Iraq which would likely cost about $230 billion. The war caused instability for the Ba'ath Party and contributed to the poor relations between Iraq and its Arab neighbors as well as failing to solve the Arab-Persian conflict. The use of chemical weapons and the genocide against the Kurds in northern Iraq put Iraq on the world stage for its crimes against humanity and further destabilized Saddam Hussein's position.
Iran
After the war Iran was isolated from the rest of the world both economically and politically. Arab neighbors in the Middle East had backed Iraq against Iran causing poor relations to turn worse. At the same time both superpowers accepted Iraq as the lesser of two evils and had worked against Iran during the war, the U.S. eventually giving economic and military support to Iraq after small arms deals with Iran and the Soviet Union selling far more weapons to Iraq than Iran as Iraq was long seen as a client state of the U.S.S.R.. The only two countries which Iran had favorable relations with at the time was North Korea and China. The war caused a scientific revolution in Iran with a huge increase in the demand for doctors and medical staff due to the huge demand caused by the casualties from the war. The war also helped strengthen the theocracy in Iran which assumed complete control of Iranian society during the total war and became increasingly radical.
Opinion
Disclaimer: I am in no ways an expert on Middle Eastern Affairs
As a whole the Iran-Iraq War is possibly the most tragic war. From widespread use of chemical weapons by Iraq to claims that children were used to clear minefields by Iran. The war was deeply polarizing and it is clear that there was no moral right in the war. Countries from around the world profited by selling arms to either, or in some cases, both sides. While this is common place throughout history, there was no ideological motivation behind the arm sales. At the same time an alternatives can be even more scary.
As tragic as the war was it helped maintain a balance of power in the Middle East. If either Iran or Iraq was able to destroy their adversary it would cause the country to wield an enormous amount of power in the region. For Iran this would mean toppling secular governments throughout the Middle East and replacing them with Shia Islamic Republics as it is clear this was their intention with the invasion of Iraq. After the war Iraq annex Kuwait and there was serious concerns that Saddam would then invade Saudi Arabia. If Iraq had secured a victory in the war it would be capable of dictating policy throughout the Arab world. Again this is clear as it was the goal of the Ba'ath Party's Pan-Arab ideology.
For the war to not have occurred Iraq would have had to never armed. During the 1970s Iran was the largest importer or weapons. During the 1980s it was Iraq. Given the context of the Cold War, disarmament was unrealistic. The Shan was committed to the strengthening of the Iranian armed forces to the point of almost becoming a third super power. With the Shan removed the militarization of Iran slowed. While Mutually Assured Destruction and deterrence through strength are risky concepts to ponder, it is possible that if the Iranian armed forces was not purged following the Islamic Revolution Saddam would not have been so emboldened to attack his neighbor who would have previously swatted away the Iraqi armed forces like a fly.
As a whole the Iran-Iraq War is possibly the most tragic war. From widespread use of chemical weapons by Iraq to claims that children were used to clear minefields by Iran. The war was deeply polarizing and it is clear that there was no moral right in the war. Countries from around the world profited by selling arms to either, or in some cases, both sides. While this is common place throughout history, there was no ideological motivation behind the arm sales. At the same time an alternatives can be even more scary.
As tragic as the war was it helped maintain a balance of power in the Middle East. If either Iran or Iraq was able to destroy their adversary it would cause the country to wield an enormous amount of power in the region. For Iran this would mean toppling secular governments throughout the Middle East and replacing them with Shia Islamic Republics as it is clear this was their intention with the invasion of Iraq. After the war Iraq annex Kuwait and there was serious concerns that Saddam would then invade Saudi Arabia. If Iraq had secured a victory in the war it would be capable of dictating policy throughout the Arab world. Again this is clear as it was the goal of the Ba'ath Party's Pan-Arab ideology.
For the war to not have occurred Iraq would have had to never armed. During the 1970s Iran was the largest importer or weapons. During the 1980s it was Iraq. Given the context of the Cold War, disarmament was unrealistic. The Shan was committed to the strengthening of the Iranian armed forces to the point of almost becoming a third super power. With the Shan removed the militarization of Iran slowed. While Mutually Assured Destruction and deterrence through strength are risky concepts to ponder, it is possible that if the Iranian armed forces was not purged following the Islamic Revolution Saddam would not have been so emboldened to attack his neighbor who would have previously swatted away the Iraqi armed forces like a fly.