SAEDNEWS: A former Iranian prisoner of war has recounted how, in a shocking display of hostility, an Iraqi officer slapped captive Iranian soldiers in retaliation for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s presidential election victory in 1981.
According to Saed News, a harrowing first-hand account has resurfaced from the early years of the Iran-Iraq War, shedding light on the vindictive treatment of Iranian prisoners of war by Iraqi forces. The memory, recently circulated in Iranian media, recalls the aftermath of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s landslide victory in the 1981 presidential election — a moment of national pride that, in at least one Iraqi POW camp, was met with cruel reprisal.
At the time, Ayatollah Khamenei had just been elected as the Islamic Republic’s third president. News of his win reached the Iraqi-run POW camp known as “Mosul Camp 1,” where Iranian prisoners were held under harsh conditions. According to the testimony of a former detainee, Iraqi officers exploited the occasion to inflict humiliation.
The account describes how a ranking Iraqi officer, identified as Major Azhar, gathered a group of Iranian prisoners outside the camp headquarters. One by one, he called out their names and slapped each of them across the face before sending them back to their quarters. This continued until Colonel Mohammad, a senior officer, emerged from the building and questioned the major's actions.
“Why are you hitting them?” Colonel Mohammad demanded. Major Azhar’s response was telling. He allegedly replied, “Sir, if they were in Iran, every one of them would have voted for Ali Khamenei.” The remark, cynical and bitter, was seen by many as a tacit admission of the political strength the Iranian leadership had gained — even in the eyes of their enemies.
The incident is one of many testimonies highlighting the psychological warfare waged against Iranian POWs during the eight-year conflict. For Iranians, such recollections serve not only as historical documentation but as a reminder of the resilience of those who endured captivity under degrading conditions.
As Iran continues to revisit its war-era history, stories like this one underscore the enduring emotional and political weight of a conflict that shaped generations — and the personal sacrifices of those who bore its brunt far from the battlefield.
