Naval Commandos in Khurramshahr: Unheard Stories
Soureh Mehr Publications has published "Naval Commandos in Khurramshahr", the first work published by a naval commando of the first Iranian division to withstand Iraq's assaults on the city of Khurramshahr before its capture in 1980. The stories were never published before.
Captain Houshang Samadi, commander of a 600-strong division during the Sacred Defense who resisted wholeheartedly the Iraqi forces in a 34-day siege to save the strategic city of Khurramshahr, has told the stories. Of the 600 commandos in the division only 270 ones survived after the siege.
A few hours after Iraq attacked Iran in 1980, a division of commandos led by Captain Samadi was deployed to Abadan and then to Khurramshahr from their base in Bushehr to resist the enemy. They withstood Iraqi assaults 34 days before the city was captured by Iraqis.
The 300-page book reflects the memories of the comrades during the 34 resistance told by Captain Samadi and has recently been published by Soureh Mehr Publications.
This is the first time in the past three decades that Samadi has told the stories of the resistance within 45 hours of interviews with Ghasem Yahusseini.
The stories cover Samadi's memories of the beginning days of the Iraq-imposed war on Iran through his retirement as a naval commander.
The book's better part is dedicated to Samadi's recollections of the painful fall of the city in the hands of Iraqi forces. During the 34-day resistance, Samadi was injured 6 times but never retreated. He had a diary in which he recorded his every-day memories precisely. He also wrote the memories of his comrades.
Translated by: Abbas Hajihashemi
Number of Visits: 6243
The latest
- The Artillery of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
- Translation in Oral History and Its Potential Pitfalls
- 100 Questions/14
- Third Regiment: Memoirs of an Iraqi Prisoner of War Doctor – 14
- Analysis and classification of oral literature of resistance using emerging technologies
- 100 Questions/13
- Preface and Introduction in Oral History Books
- Oral History of 40 Years
Most visited
- Oral History of 40 Years
- Analysis and classification of oral literature of resistance using emerging technologies
- 100 Questions/13
- Third Regiment: Memoirs of an Iraqi Prisoner of War Doctor – 13
- Translation in Oral History and Its Potential Pitfalls
- Preface and Introduction in Oral History Books
- 100 Questions/14
- Third Regiment: Memoirs of an Iraqi Prisoner of War Doctor – 14
100 Questions/8
We asked several researchers and activists in the field of oral history to express their views on oral history questions. The names of each participant are listed at the beginning of their answers, and the text of all answers will be published on this portal by the end of the week. The goal of this project is to open new doors to an issue and promote scientific discussions in the field of oral history.The Role of Objects in Oral Narrative
Philosophers refer to anything that exists—or possesses the potential to exist—as an object. This concept may manifest in material forms, abstract notions, and even human emotions and lived experiences. In other words, an object encompasses a vast spectrum of beings and phenomena, each endowed with particular attributes and characteristics, and apprehensible in diverse modalities.100 Questions/6
We asked several researchers and activists in the field of oral history to express their views on oral history questions. The names of each participant are listed at the beginning of their answers, and the text of all answers will be published on this portal by the end of the week. The goal of this project is to open new doors to an issue and promote scientific discussions in the field of oral history.The Importance of Pre-Publication Critique of Oral History Works
According to the Oral History website, a meeting for critique and review of the book “Oral History: Essence and Method” was held on Monday morning, November 10, 2025, with the attendance of the book’s author, Hamid Qazvini, and the critics Mohammad Qasemipour and Yahya Niazi, at the Ghasr-e Shirin Hall of the National Museum of the Islamic Revolution and Sacred Defense.
