Reaction to Saddam’s Capture in Iran
In 1980, Saddam Hussein launched a war on Iran, attempting to grab its oil-rich Khuzistan province, and beginning a bloody conflict that lasted until 1988. The war devoured the lives of hundreds of thousands of Iranians, but eventually Saddam was forced to withdraw. Iranians are therefore among those rejoicing in the capture of Saddam, though the hardliners among them see it as God’s judgment on a man who defied Imam Khomeini rather than as an American victory.
Iran has decided to lodge a legal complaint against Saddam in the World Court. Its spokesmen say they not only want Saddam tried for crimes against humanity, but also want to bring out the role of the Western nations that supported and built up Saddam (including the US, France, Russia and Germany).