Khaddam’s Memoirs 7: The invasion of Kuwait required Saddam Hussein to make unexpected concessions…and Iran exploited the circumstances to its advantage.

Saddam concluded with the condition of non-interference in the internal affairs of both countries, equal sharing of aid between Tehran and Baghdad, along with the reopening of the embassies of both nations.

While Saddam criticized Rafsanjani for his dual stance on Arab nationalism at a time when his forces were invading Kuwait, on the other hand, he welcomed his counterpart’s proposal for the withdrawal of forces and the release of prisoners of both sides according to a specified timetable.

After Iraq’s invasion, Tehran condemned the military operation of Iraqi forces and their invasion of Kuwaiti territories. In response, Saddam sent a message to Rafsanjani, considering Tehran’s position on Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait as distancing it from its peace efforts with Baghdad. Therefore, he believed that a comprehensive and permanent peace agreement between the two countries would be difficult to achieve. According to him, statements opposing Iraq’s intervention in Kuwait, including those from Iran, would not delay Iraq’s determination to seek justice and address oppression.

Saddam assessed Iran’s shift from its “rightful position” as a missed historical opportunity for peace with Iraq. He reiterated the declared goals of making peace with Tehran and urged the expeditious dispatch of negotiators for this purpose.

Rafsanjani, responding on August 3 to Saddam’s letter, expressed regret over some of its contents. He believed that a direct meeting between the leaders of both countries was conditioned on clarifying fundamental and contentious issues first and working in light of the 1975 peace treaty to conduct peace negotiations between them.

Rafsanjani objected to Saddam’s specified timeline for the withdrawal of Iraqi forces from Iranian territories, considering it necessary for Baghdad to complete the withdrawal within days, not two months. However, he deferred the release of prisoners to a maximum of three months. Rafsanjani criticized Saddam’s claims about his commitment to Arab nationalism while “robbing peace and stability from Muslims” and not allowing foreign forces to enter the region.

Rafsanjani also criticized Saddam for beginning his previous messages with “Bismillah” and ending them with “Allahu Akbar,” claiming that it contradicted Islamic teachings and nationalism. He considered Iraq’s failure to inform or coordinate with Tehran about its attack on Kuwait as “unimaginable,” weakening Tehran’s confidence in Baghdad’s sincerity for easing tensions. Rafsanjani commented on Saddam’s recent message, welcoming the Iraqi response.

Khaddam commented on the correspondence, noting that both parties had clear goals for signing a peace treaty. Tehran also gained advantages, benefiting from the Iraqi situation. He added that Iraqi delegations visited Iran in an attempt to sway the Iranian position in favor of Baghdad, but these efforts were unsuccessful.