Iraqi prisoners and the issue of their detention during the imposed war (1359-1367)

This study examines the custody and administration of Iraqi prisoners of war in Iran during the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988). The capture of enemy combatants is an inevitable consequence of armed conflicts. Following the increase in the number of Iraqi , particularly after Operation Fathal-Mobin, Iranian wartime authorities faced challenges in organizing their detention, accommodation, and the provision of basic needs. Accordingly, this study investigates the management of camps, the accommodation of Iraqi prisoners, and the provision of their essential requirements within the administrative context of post-Revolutionary Iran. International inspections and reports concerning the conditions of camps also constituted an important concern for Iranian authorities. The central question addressed in this research is how Iranian officials managed the growing number of Iraqi prisoners and what measures they adopted regarding their accommodation and the provision of their essential needs.
Employing a descriptive-analytical approach, this study is based on documentary evidence preserved in the Sacred Defense Documents Center. The findings indicate that, prior to the establishment of the Commission for the Administration of Iraqi Prisoners of War, responsibility for the custody of rested with the Military Police Headquarters and Army units, operating according to regulations governing prisoners' accommodation and logistical support. Following the establishment of the Commission and its specialized committees, however, the administration of Iraqi evolved from a predominantly military framework into an integrated and specialized administrative system with broader supervisory authority. This institutional transformation resulted in a more systematic organization of prisoners' accommodation, custody, and the provision of their essential needs.