During the Iran-Iraq War, the 64th Urmia Division, based in West Azerbaijan Province, was actively engaged the enemy on the country’ s northwestern front.

In 1930, a military battalion was formed in Urmia, which expanded by 1941 to become the 4th Division.⁠[1] In the second half of the 1960s, a restructuring plan for the Iranian Ground Forces known as “ Taj” was implemented, and the 4th Division was renamed the 64th Urmia Division. The division had three brigades: the 1st Infantry Brigade in Piranshahr (including the 164th, 173rd, and 198th battalions), the 2nd Infantry Brigade in Salmas (including the 109th, 117th, and 132nd battalions), and the 3rd Brigade in Mahabad (including the 115th, 127th, and 167th battalions). In addition, the artillery and tank battalions based in Qooshchi, together with the 203rd Armored Battalion in Marand, formed the remaining elements of the 64th Division.⁠[2]

Starting in 1973, as part of Operation Ararat— the Iranian Army’ s mission to support Kurdish opposition groups led by Mulla Mustafa Barzani— units of the 64th Urmia Division entered Iraqi territory. They engaged the Iraqi troops using artillery fire, mortars, and anti-aircraft cover. These activities continued until the Algiers Agreement was signed between Iran and Iraq in 1975.⁠[3]

In 1975, the 2nd Brigade of the 64th Division was deployed to Oman to help suppress the Dhofar Rebellion.⁠[4]

Following the Islamic Revolution, units of the 64th Urmia Division were tasked with stabilizing the country’ s northwestern regions.⁠[5] On February 20, 1979, anti-revolutionary forces (the Democratic Party) attacked the 3rd Mahabad Brigade.⁠[6] They looted the brigade’ s entire stock of light and heavy weapons, including a 105 mm artillery battery, several 23 mm anti‑aircraft guns, dozens of 60 mm, 81 mm, and 120 mm mortars, machine guns, rocket launchers, RPGs, and individual rifles.⁠[7] From that point on, Mahabad fell under the control of the anti-revolutionaries⁠[8] until September 3, 1979, when units of the 64th Urmia Division surrounded the city. With help from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and backed by Army Aviation (Havanirooz) and the Air Force, they retook Mahabad peacefully, following the opposition forces’ retreat.⁠[9]

In 1981, the Northwest Headquarters was established in Urmia under the command of Colonel Sayyad Shirazi to counter the anti-revolutionary elements in the region. Then, the 64th Division, together with the 23rd Division and IRGC units, was placed under its command. From August 24 to September 13, 1981, these forces liberated the Oshnavieh and Bukan regions in West Azerbaijan from anti-revolutionary control.⁠[10]

After Iraq invaded Iran on September 22, 1980, there were no major ground confrontations between the two countries in the northwestern border region during the first two years of the war. Beginning in the third year, Iran launched military operations along the border strip to damage Iraq’ s vital industrial facilities, liberate parts of Iraqi Kurdistan, and hand those areas over to local Kurdish forces.⁠[11]

In 1983, Operation Valfajr 2 was planned by the Hamzeh Seyyed al-Shuhada Headquarters to capture Iraq’ s Haj Omran Garrison on the northwestern front. The 64th Urmia Division participated in this operation, which was carried out on July 20, 1983, alongside other Army and IRGC units. After 25 days of combat, they successfully captured the Haj Omran Garrison and the surrounding heights, taking 510 enemy troops prisoner of war.⁠[12]

In June 1985, units of the 64th Urmia Division launched another attack in the same region, destroying two enemy bases, damaging fifteen others, and killing approximately 100 Iraqi troops.⁠[13]

In early 1986, Iraqi forces launched a major offensive in the mountainous Chwarta region on the northwestern front. To counter the attack, the 64th Urmia Division and other Army units rushed to support the IRGC and managed to stop the enemy’ s advance.⁠[14]

A few months later, the Iraqi army opened a large‑scale assault in the Haj Omran region. Despite strong resistance from the 64th Division, they succeeded in taking part of the surrounding heights.⁠[15]

The commando units of the 64th Urmia Division executed Operation Karbala 7 on March 4, 1987, west of Piranshahr and in the Haj Omran region. The operation took place in a mountainous area buried under meters of snow, and after five days of fighting, Iranian forces managed to seize Height 2519. In this operation, 1,000 enemy troops were killed or wounded. During Operation Karbala 7, Imam Khomeini (ra) spoke by phone with the commander overseeing the operation.⁠[16]

In November 1987, four commando battalions from the 64th Urmia Division, along with a battalion from the 25th Commando Brigade of the Army, attacked Iraqi forces during Operation Nasr 9 in the Haj Omran region. After three days of combat, 300 enemy troops were killed.⁠[17]

On July 20, 1988, just two days after Iran accepted UN Security Council Resolution 598, four Iraqi brigades based in the Tamarchin area and the Se‑Kanian Heights attacked Iranian positions to seize strategic high ground. Units from the 64th Urmia Division, together with the 795th Battalion of the 25th Commando Brigade and two IRGC and Gendarmerie battalions, confronted the enemy. After five days of fighting, the Iraqis retreated, leaving behind 500 dead and five artillery pieces.⁠[18]

Throughout the Iran-Iraq War, 3,435 personnel from the 64th Urmia Division were martyred, 7,800 were wounded, and 435 were taken prisoner of war.⁠[19]

Commanders of the 64th Division during the post-Revolution and war years included Brigadier General Qasem-Ali Zahirnejad, Brigadier General Ghazanfar Azarfar, Brigadier General Muhammad-Zaki Zakiani, and Lieutenant General Ali Sayyad Shirazi (martyred).⁠[20]

Since 2011, new structural changes have been implemented in the Army Ground Forces under the Thamen Plan, making each division’ s brigades independent within their respective regions.⁠[21] Consequently, the brigades of the 64th Division became independent: the 364th Brigade in Mahabad, the 264th Brigade in Salmas, and the 164th Brigade in Piranshahr. They now only operate under the operational supervision of the 64th Division Headquarters.⁠[22] Currently, Second Brigadier General Siroos Muhammadi is the commander of the 64th Urmia Division.⁠[23]