Don’t Bomb Iran

In the eight year war that followed Saddams invasion of Iran in 1980, over one million people died in savage human-wave battles and attacks on civilian targets. Various western countries supportedSaddam economically, militarily and with intelligence. Saddams forces repeated used chemical weapons on the battlefield, and received satellite intelligence from the CIA about their effectiveness. It has been estimated that 100,000 people died from chemical weapon attacks.

The US shipped a range of “dual use” technologies, including anthrax and chemical ‘precursors’ for chemical weapons; one US branch of an Italian bank lent Saddam over $5 billion, loans partially guaranteed by the US government; and for several years the CIA gave Saddam satellite intelligence, including ‘calibration’ information about the effects on Iranian battle formations from Iraqi mustard gas attacks. For a fuller article about sales see the Wikipedia entry about US-iraqi arms transfers

For a longer list / chronology see the UN Observer page (NOT a UN document

As part apology to Israel for helping arm Saddam, the German government built and paid for three Dolphin-class submarines for the Israeli navy. Israel has apparently fitted these submarines with US-supplied Harpoon missiles, some fitted with Israeli-built nuclear warheads and has hinted that they can strike strategic targets in Iran, as they appear to be based in the Indian ocean.
Iran was awarded billions of dollars in damages from Iraq after the UN decided Saddams attack on it had been an illegal war of agression. Kuwait also received billions for the illegal invasion of their country by Saddam. Interestingly, the UN considers the US-led invasion of Iraq to have also been illegal, but there is little talk of reparations.