@@ -102,6 +102,10 @@ func (daemon *Daemon) ImageDelete(imageRef string, force, prune bool) ([]types.I

 		// remove that reference.

 		// FIXME: Is this the behavior we want?

 		if len(repoRefs) == 1 {

+			if conflict := daemon.checkImageDeleteConflict(imgID, force, true); conflict != nil {

+				return nil, conflict

+			}

+

 			parsedRef, err := daemon.removeImageRef(repoRefs[0])

 			if err != nil {

 				return nil, err

@@ -215,7 +219,7 @@ func (idc *imageDeleteConflict) Error() string {

 func (daemon *Daemon) imageDeleteHelper(imgID image.ID, records *[]types.ImageDelete, force, prune, quiet bool) error {

 	// First, determine if this image has any conflicts. Ignore soft conflicts

 	// if force is true.

-	if conflict := daemon.checkImageDeleteConflict(imgID, force); conflict != nil {

+	if conflict := daemon.checkImageDeleteConflict(imgID, force, false); conflict != nil {

 		if quiet && (!daemon.imageIsDangling(imgID) || conflict.used) {

 			// Ignore conflicts UNLESS the image is "dangling" or not being used in

 			// which case we want the user to know.

@@ -267,7 +271,7 @@ func (daemon *Daemon) imageDeleteHelper(imgID image.ID, records *[]types.ImageDe

 // using the image. A soft conflict is any tags/digest referencing the given

 // image or any stopped container using the image. If ignoreSoftConflicts is

 // true, this function will not check for soft conflict conditions.

-func (daemon *Daemon) checkImageDeleteConflict(imgID image.ID, ignoreSoftConflicts bool) *imageDeleteConflict {

+func (daemon *Daemon) checkImageDeleteConflict(imgID image.ID, ignoreSoftConflicts bool, ignoreRefConflict bool) *imageDeleteConflict {

 	// Check for hard conflicts first.

 	if conflict := daemon.checkImageDeleteHardConflict(imgID); conflict != nil {

 		return conflict

@@ -279,7 +283,7 @@ func (daemon *Daemon) checkImageDeleteConflict(imgID image.ID, ignoreSoftConflic

 		return nil

 	}

-	return daemon.checkImageDeleteSoftConflict(imgID)

+	return daemon.checkImageDeleteSoftConflict(imgID, ignoreRefConflict)

 }

 func (daemon *Daemon) checkImageDeleteHardConflict(imgID image.ID) *imageDeleteConflict {

@@ -312,9 +316,9 @@ func (daemon *Daemon) checkImageDeleteHardConflict(imgID image.ID) *imageDeleteC

 	return nil

 }

-func (daemon *Daemon) checkImageDeleteSoftConflict(imgID image.ID) *imageDeleteConflict {

+func (daemon *Daemon) checkImageDeleteSoftConflict(imgID image.ID, ignoreRefConflict bool) *imageDeleteConflict {

 	// Check if any repository tags/digest reference this image.

-	if len(daemon.referenceStore.References(imgID)) > 0 {

+	if !ignoreRefConflict && len(daemon.referenceStore.References(imgID)) > 0 {

 		return &imageDeleteConflict{

 			imgID:   imgID,

 			message: "image is referenced in one or more repositories",

@@ -337,3 +337,20 @@ func (s *DockerSuite) TestRmiWithParentInUse(c *check.C) {

 	dockerCmd(c, "rmi", imageID)

 }

+

+// #18873

+func (s *DockerSuite) TestRmiByIDHardConflict(c *check.C) {

+	testRequires(c, DaemonIsLinux)

+	dockerCmd(c, "create", "busybox")

+

+	imgID, err := inspectField("busybox:latest", "Id")

+	c.Assert(err, checker.IsNil)

+

+	_, _, err = dockerCmdWithError("rmi", imgID[:12])

+	c.Assert(err, checker.NotNil)

+

+	// check that tag was not removed

+	imgID2, err := inspectField("busybox:latest", "Id")

+	c.Assert(err, checker.IsNil)

+	c.Assert(imgID, checker.Equals, imgID2)

+}