Why Does It Matter?

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It was the first time U.S. forces had intervened to stop an attack on a non-U.S. flagged vessel in the Gulf

The attack by the U.S. helped pressure Iran to agree to a ceasefire with Iraq later that summer, ending the eight-year conflict between the Persian Gulf neighbours. By the end of the operation, U.S. air and surface units had sunk, or severely damaged, half of Iran's operational fleet

This battle was the largest of the five major U.S. surface engagements since the Second World War, which also include the Battle of Chumonchin Chan during the Korean War, the Gulf of Tonkin incident and the Battle of Dong Hoi during the Vietnam War, and the Action in the Gulf of Sidra in 1986