Iran’s religious minorities took part in defending the country during the Iran–Iraq War. In most countries, alongside the majority population that shares a common history, culture, language, and religion, there are smaller groups with distinct ethnic and religious characteristics. These groups are commonly referred to as minorities.⁠[1]

Religious minorities in Iran are officially recognized under Article 13 of the Constitution. They are divided into three groups: Christians, Zoroastrians, and Jews.⁠[2] The Jewish people (Kalimi), followers of Prophet Moses (pbuh), are the oldest ethnic minority in the country who have played a notable role throughout Iranian history. The Christian community in Iran is mainly divided into the Armenians and Assyrians. Zoroastrianism is also among the religions formally recognized by the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.⁠[3]

With the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War, representatives of religious minorities in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, along with their affiliated institutions, publications, associations, and organizations, issued statements and declarations emphasizing readiness to take part in the war and help safeguard the country’s independence.⁠[4] In addition, several religious minorities volunteered to join the frontlines. For example, 400 Iranian Armenians who had already completed their mandatory military service volunteered to be deployed to the battlefields.⁠[5]

Joint committees formed by Armenian and Assyrian Christian minorities, along with Zoroastrians and Jews, also set up coordination offices to collect cash and in-kind donations and send them to the warfronts and war-affected areas.⁠[6] The Armenian Caliphate Council of Tehran opened a dedicated bank account at Bank Saderat to collect donations, and on December 1, 1980, the first cash contributions from Armenians were formally handed over to the representative of the Presidential Office for Religious Minorities.⁠[7]

These coordination offices organized technical teams and sent volunteers to the frontlines and rear areas for logistics and reconstruction work. In addition to military activities, their most important services included repairing light and heavy machinery, road construction, and work related to electricity and telecommunications. As an example, a 22-member team of Armenian engineers and specialists managed, over two weeks of round-the-clock work in rear areas, to repair 140 military and service vehicles and return them to active use at the warfronts.⁠[8] In another case, the Armenian-owned transport company “Sati” provided free transportation of essential military equipment during the Sacred Defense.⁠[9] Among its notable activities was the transfer of naval hovercraft from Bandar Imam Khomeini to the Hoor al-Azim marshes for Operation Kheibar.⁠[10]

Sending doctors and nurses to combat zones was another form of support provided by the war-support headquarters run by Iran’s religious minorities.⁠[11]

Allocating the budgets of Zoroastrian religious celebrations to aid war victims was also among the contributions made by the Zoroastrian community.⁠[12]

It should be noted that followers of Abrahamic religions who volunteered to take part in the war were generally deployed to the battlefields via the regular Army units.⁠[13]

One of the earliest actions taken by Iran’s Jewish community was the publication of a statement by the “Association of Iranian Jewish Intellectuals” concerning the Iran-Iraq War. Issued in cooperation with synagogues, various organizations, and the Association of Iranian Jews, the statement introduced a designated bank account at Bank Saderat Iran for cash donations, as well as the Abrishami, Yousef Abad, and Kourosh synagogues in Tehran as collection points for non-cash aid. In the early days of the war, Jewish communities in Shiraz and other cities also took part in activities such as purchasing ambulances to transport the wounded, equipping hospitals, buying medicine, and providing financial assistance.

In addition, the Jewish “Kanoon-e Kheirkhah” (Charitable Association) donated three million rials, along with medical supplies and an ambulance, to the battlefronts in November 1980.

Through coordination beyond Iran’s borders, the Jewish community was able to import part of the required medical supplies and help address shortages of essential medicines. Some members of the community also served directly at the frontlines as doctors and nurses. During the 1980s, a number of nurses working in hospitals in southern Iran were Jewish women.

The Iranian Jewish Community’s War Aid Headquarters also issued special war-support bonds. Each bond was valued at 260,000 rials and distributed through synagogues and Jewish organizations, with the proceeds handed over to officials of the Islamic Republic.⁠[14]

Among the martyrs of the Sacred Defense were 90 Christians, 11 Jews, and 32 Zoroastrians. During the same period, 295 Christians, 328 Jews, and 209 Zoroastrians were wounded and recognized as veterans. In addition, 58 Christians, 34 Jews, and 23 Zoroastrians were among the prisoners of war who were later freed.⁠[15]

Shahram Zarrini, Fariborz Morim, Eshaq Tizaabi, Cyrus Hakimian, and Hamid Nahavandi are among the most prominent Jewish martyrs. Dr. Jahanbakhsh Qahremani, a 70-percent disabled veteran of the Sacred Defense who lost both a hand and a leg, is also a member of the Jewish minority and currently lives in Kermanshah.⁠[16]

Of the 16 Zoroastrian martyrs of the war, 11 were from Tehran, 3 from Kerman, and 2 from Yazd.⁠[17] Notable Armenian martyrs include Zorik Moradian, the first Christian martyr, who was martyred on October 11, 1980, in Piranshahr, and Vigen Karapetyan. The Leader of the Islamic Revolution has repeatedly visited their families on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ (pbuh).⁠[18]