There is a really strong bias among people in the west to overemphasize their role in complex international events.<p>The US absolutely played both sides in the Iran-Iraq War.  However, let&#x27;s not strip the very real agency that Iraq and Iran exercised in the conduct of it.<p>What the US did was tilt the scales in Iraq&#x27;s favor when things were looking exceptionally grim for them.  This probably prolonged the war or at least prevented it from reaching an early decisive end.  However, this shouldn&#x27;t be surprising given the events of &#x27;79 and what that did to the US&#x27;s prior Middle Eastern strategy.