Tension between Iran and Iraq led to war in 1980.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2021). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1-4] e.g. 'The USA supported Iraq with intelligence and finance.'
2. [1-4] ‘The USA did not want an Iranian victory and the installation of an Islamic revolutionary government in Baghdad.'
3. [1-4] ‘The USA sent warships to the Gulf to guarantee oil supplies.'
4. [1-4] 'The USA warships attacked Iranian oil installations and Iranian gunboats.'
5. [1-4] 'Western powers supplied military equipment to Iraq.'
6. [2-3] 'It was important to their oil industries.'
7. [2-3] 'It was Iraq's only access to the sea.'
8. [2-3] 'There were long running arguments about where the boundary between the two countries lay.'
9. [2-3] 'The Shah of Iran broke a longstanding treaty and refused to pay shipping dues to Iraq.'
10. [2-3] 'Saddam Hussein claimed the right to territory which lay on the Iranian side of the waterway.'
11. [4-5] e.g. 'The Shatt al-Arab waterway caused tension between Iran and Iraq because it was important for the oil industry in both countries. Both were dependent on their income from oil and if one or the other of them gained control of the waterway, it meant they could disrupt the oil industry of the other and inflict economic harm.'
12. [2-3] 'There were many deaths on both sides.'
13. [2-3] 'Iran lost around half of their oil revenue.'
14. [2-3] 'Iraq owed $80 billion in loans.'
15. [2-3] 'Standards of living fell dramatically in both countries.'
16. [2-3] 'Iran and Iraq lost around 2% of their populations.'
17. [2-3] 'Iraq's oil industry suffered.'
18. [4-6] e.g. 'Economic damage was very severe on both sides. Having been one of the wealthiest countries in the region, Iraq was reduced to bankruptcy by eight years of war. It owed over $80 billion in loans and its revenues from oil had drastically reduced. Iran had less foreign debt, but its oil industry had also plummeted. In both countries, the standard of living of the population was dramatically reduced.'
19. [4-6] OR e.g. 'Loss of life was the most severe impact of the war. Approximately 1 million Iranians were killed. In Iraq (which had a smaller population), up to half a million people died. This represented around 2 per cent of each country's population. There was also psychological damage, and many soldiers and civilians were seriously wounded on both sides.'