[4] In December 1980, UN Secretary General Kurt Waldheim appealed to Iran and Iraq to ensure the security of peaceful shipping in the Gulf.

[4] In his 1988 review paper O'Rouke wrote that "Iran trapped or destroyed many Iraqi ships in port in the early stages of the war.

[6] Iraq's aim in attacking Iranian shipping was to provoke the Iranians to retaliate with extreme measures, such as closing the Strait of Hormuz to all maritime traffic, thereby bringing about foreign intervention against Iran; the United States had threatened several times to intervene if the Strait of Hormuz were closed.

[12] Phillips writes that "In January 1987, the Kuwaiti government proposed a clever scheme to deter Iranian attacks against their shipping.

United Nations Security Council Resolution 598, was adopted unanimously on 20 July 1987, which engendered Operation Earnest Will (24 July 1987 – 26 September 1988), a successful US effort to protect Kuwaiti merchandise and vessel, because as noted by O'Rourke: "Aside from Iranian shipping, the most frequent victims have been ships steaming under the world's predominant flags of convenience.

"[3] Western-led convoy tactics with armed guard vessels were used for protection in the latter stages of the Tanker War.

[3] It is in this conflict that in 1987 Iran perfected the art of speedboat attacks, and concentrated "their fire on the crew compartments of their target ships.