After 2 years of harsh fighting, Iran was able to reclaim the land it had lost during the start of the war. It had also captured Iraq's only ports, making Iraq unable to trade from their own ports. There were calls for a cease fire, but Iran would not settle for less than the city of Baghdad, and Sadddam's regime. Though this emboldened Iraqi soldiers , it still devolved down into a stalemate. Trench warfare, similar to world war one, took place, and no gains were made by either side.