The Algiers Agreement (1975): The Day the World Abandoned the Kurds
- Sherko Sabir
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
Introduction
On 6 March 1975, Saddam Hussein and Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi shook hands in Algiers under the mediation of Algerian President Houari Boumediène. They had just signed the Algiers Agreement — a deal that settled the Iraq-Iran border dispute over the Shatt al-Arab waterway. Iraq conceded sovereignty over half the waterway to Iran. In exchange, Iran agreed to immediately halt all support for the Kurdish rebellion in Iraq. The agreement was signed, the handshake photographed, and the Kurdish people were abandoned overnight.
The Algiers Agreement is the single most devastating act of betrayal in modern Kurdish history. Iran, which had provided an estimated $40 million annually in arms, munitions, and border sanctuary to Barzani’s Peshmerga, cut off all support within hours. The United States, which had covertly supplied weapons and funding through the CIA at Henry Kissinger’s direction, walked away without a word. The Iraqi army launched an all-out search-and-destroy campaign the day after the agreement was signed. Over 100,000 Kurdish refugees fled across the borders. Approximately 1,400 villages were razed. Mustafa Barzani fled into exile and died a broken man in the United States in 1979.
Contents
What Was the Algiers Agreement?
The Algiers Agreement (also known as the Algiers Accord) was signed on 6 March 1975 between Iraq and Iran, mediated by Algerian President Houari Boumediène. It settled the long-running border dispute over the Shatt al-Arab (Arvand Rud) waterway by establishing the thalweg (mid-channel line) as the international border — a significant territorial concession by Iraq, which had previously claimed sovereignty over the entire waterway under the 1937 treaty.
In exchange for this territorial concession, Iran agreed to immediately cease all support for the Kurdish rebellion in Iraq. The Shah closed the border to Kurdish fighters, halted arms shipments, and withdrew Iranian military advisers. The agreement was formalised through bilateral treaties signed on 13 June and 26 December 1975. For Iraq, the main purpose of the agreement was not the waterway — it was ending the Kurdish rebellion that threatened the Ba’athist regime’s grip on power.
Key Takeaways
• Iran abandoned the Kurdish rebellion overnight in exchange for territorial concessions on the Shatt al-Arab — cutting off $40 million annually in arms and border sanctuary.
• The United States, which had covertly armed the Kurds through the CIA, walked away without warning — Kissinger’s aide Brent Scowcroft later dismissed it as ‘just small potatoes.’
• Iraq launched an all-out military campaign the day after — razing approximately 1,400 Kurdish villages and driving over 100,000 Kurdish refugees across the borders into Iran and Turkey.
• The Algiers Agreement proved that Kurdish aspirations were expendable in great-power diplomacy — a lesson the Kurdish people have been forced to learn repeatedly from Sèvres to Mahabad to the present day.
Quick Facts
Agreement: Algiers Agreement (Algiers Accord) Date: 6 March 1975 Parties: Iraq (VP Saddam Hussein) and Iran (Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi) Mediator: Algerian President Houari Boumediène Type: Border and security agreement Key Terms: Iraq concedes thalweg border on Shatt al-Arab; Iran halts all support for Kurdish rebellion Iranian Support to Kurds (pre-agreement): ~$40 million annually in arms, munitions, border sanctuary, military advisers US Covert Support: CIA provided 900,000 lbs of weapons and $1 million in funding via Iran Consequences: Iraqi army destroys ~1,400 Kurdish villages; 100,000+ Kurdish refugees; Kurdish revolt collapses Barzani: Fled into exile; died in United States, 1979 Abrogated: Iraq cancelled the agreement on 17 September 1980, triggering the Iran-Iraq War
Historical Context: Proxies and Pawns
By 1974, the Second Iraqi-Kurdish War was in full swing. Barzani’s Peshmerga, backed by Iran and covertly supported by the CIA, were inflicting serious damage on the Iraqi army. The Shah of Iran had been providing the bulk of support — weapons, ammunition, artillery, and border sanctuary — not because he cared about Kurdish self-determination, but because he wanted to weaken Iraq and extract territorial concessions on the Shatt al-Arab waterway.
The United States had joined the covert operation in 1972 at the Shah’s urging, following Nixon’s visit to Tehran. The CIA provided supplementary arms and funding, but relied entirely on Iranian logistics for delivery. Kissinger’s goal was not Kurdish freedom but the containment of Soviet-allied Iraq. The Pike Congressional Committee later revealed the cynicism of the operation: the US never intended the Kurds to win — only to destabilise Iraq enough to keep it occupied.
The Betrayal: ‘Just Small Potatoes’
The moment the Algiers Agreement was signed, Iranian support evaporated. The Shah closed the border. Arms shipments stopped. Military advisers were withdrawn. Kurdish fighters who had been operating from Iranian territory were told to leave. Barzani sent desperate messages to Kissinger pleading for American help. Kissinger did not respond.
The Iraqi army, knowing the aid had been cut off, launched an immediate all-out offensive. Approximately 1,400 Kurdish villages were razed. Over 100,000 Kurdish refugees fled to Iran and Turkey. The Kurdish revolt, which had sustained itself for over a decade, collapsed within weeks. Barzani, broken and betrayed, fled into exile. He reportedly told a journalist: ‘We do not want to be anybody’s pawns. We are an ancient people. We want our autonomy. We want sarbastî — freedom.’ He died in a Washington hospital in 1979.
Years later, when asked about the American abandonment of the Kurds, Kissinger’s aide Brent Scowcroft dismissed the entire Kurdish rebellion as ‘just small potatoes.’ The Pike Committee report concluded that the US had used the Kurds as ‘a uniquely useful tool’ — disposable proxies whose suffering was considered an acceptable cost of Cold War strategy.
Timeline of Key Events
1972 — Nixon visits Tehran; Shah persuades US to covertly support Kurdish revolt via CIA.
March 1974 — Iraq imposes watered-down autonomy; Second Iraqi-Kurdish War begins.
1974–1975 — Iran provides ~$40 million/year in arms to Kurdish Peshmerga; CIA supplies weapons and funding.
6 March 1975 — Algiers Agreement signed; Iran halts all Kurdish support; US walks away.
March–April 1975 — Iraqi army destroys ~1,400 Kurdish villages; 100,000+ refugees flee.
1979 — Mustafa Barzani dies in exile in the United States.
17 September 1980 — Iraq abrogates the Algiers Agreement; Iran-Iraq War begins.
Legacy and Significance for Kurdish History
The Algiers Agreement is the defining betrayal of Kurdish history. It encapsulates, in a single handshake, the central tragedy of the Kurdish experience: that great powers will use the Kurds as instruments of strategic pressure, then discard them the moment a better deal is available. The pattern — support the Kurds to weaken a rival, then abandon them when the rivalry is resolved — has been repeated so often that it has become the defining motif of Kurdish political life.
The agreement’s long-term consequences were catastrophic far beyond 1975. Iraq’s abrogation of the agreement in 1980 triggered the eight-year Iran-Iraq War, during which Saddam Hussein launched the Anfal genocide and the Halabja chemical attack against the very Kurdish population he had subdued in 1975. The destruction enabled by the Algiers Agreement — the razing of villages, the forced displacement, the consolidation of Ba’athist control over Kurdish territory — laid the groundwork for the horrors of the 1980s.
But the Algiers Agreement also taught the Kurds a lesson they would never forget: never rely on external powers for survival. When Kurdish autonomy was finally achieved in 2005, it was not because a great power granted it — it was because the Kurdish people, through decades of resistance, sacrifice, and political persistence, forced the issue themselves. The Peshmerga who fought ISIS in 2014 carried the memory of 1975 in their bones. The Kurdish saying ‘no friends but the mountains’ was forged in the fires of Algiers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Algiers Agreement?
A border agreement signed on 6 March 1975 between Iraq and Iran, mediated by Algeria. Iraq conceded sovereignty over half the Shatt al-Arab waterway to Iran; in exchange, Iran immediately halted all support for the Kurdish rebellion in Iraq. The agreement led to the collapse of the Kurdish revolt and the displacement of over 100,000 Kurdish refugees.
Why did the US abandon the Kurds in 1975?
The US covertly supported the Kurds through the CIA not out of commitment to Kurdish self-determination, but to destabilise Soviet-allied Iraq and support the Shah of Iran. When the Shah struck a deal with Iraq at Algiers, the US had no independent interest in continuing Kurdish support. Kissinger’s aide Brent Scowcroft dismissed the entire episode as ‘just small potatoes.’
What happened to the Algiers Agreement?
Iraq abrogated the Algiers Agreement on 17 September 1980, shortly after the Iranian Revolution overthrew the Shah. Saddam claimed Iran had not honoured the agreement’s terms. The abrogation triggered the Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988), the longest and one of the bloodiest wars in Middle Eastern history.
References and Further Reading
McDowall, D., A Modern History of the Kurds, I.B. Tauris, 2004.
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