An exhibition honoring Iranian-Armenian servicemen killed during the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War has opened at Tehran’s Maryam-e Moqaddas, or Blessed Virgin Mary, metro station.
The exhibition features portraits of Armenians from Iran who served in the country’s armed forces and were killed during the eight-year war.
Iranian Armenians took part in the war as citizens of Iran, with Armenian men drafted into military service following Iraq’s invasion in September 1980. Around 17,000 Iranian Armenians are estimated to have participated in the conflict, with Iranian Armenian sources recording anywhere from 89 to 260 servicemen killed.
The war affected the wider Armenian community as well. Hundreds of men from the historic Armenian community of New Julfa were drafted, while Armenians also provided material support to the Iranian military. Thousands of Armenians living in the heavily affected Khuzestan region were displaced by the fighting and sought refuge in New Julfa.
Iran has continued to commemorate Armenian and other Christian servicemen killed during the war. Senior Iranian officials have traditionally visited the families of fallen Christian soldiers around Christmas.
The Maryam-e Moqaddas station itself reflects the centuries-old presence of Armenians in Iran and is one of Tehran’s public symbols of the country’s historic Armenian Christian community.
