A few seconds of searching finds that Iran could have easily ended the war in less than a year by accepting a Saudi offer (approved by Iraq) of substantial reparations and complete withdrawal of Iraqi forces. Instead, Iran prolonged the war by six more years and suffered several hundred thousand additional casualties. I note that timely Iranian reconciliation with the US could also have ended the war in a way that removed Saddam Hussein from the scene as well, saving us a great deal of effort later on. The incompetence and cruelty of the Iranian regime was matched only by that of Iraq; portraying the ayatollahs as helpless victims is absurd.
I will add that every American with an IQ above room temperature knows that a de facto state of war between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran has existed since November 4, 1979. The only question is how we will choose to finish that war.
