We can block Strait of Hormuz , but USA can open it : Former IRGC Commander

[Great Brahmin]

Still confused. But the inner self fighting back.

The Persians should look at the Kurds. Though ideally it's they who should have led the way back.

Cheers, Doc

when i look at majority of Persians here your post appears to me as the Truth.

we all have bad apples in our bloodlines, i have encountered some in my community as well. prefer to liquidate everything for neo-Hindutwa identity, their goal is do destroy us ironically...

Blood + Faith + Religion is what matters to me, everything else is just Huwa.

btw what kind of Zoroastrian are you ? Priest or Commoner ? i have heard that majority of migrants were Priests who wanted to preserve some kind of Holy Flame/Torch ?

 

[padamchen]

when i look at majority of Persians here your post appears to me as the Truth.

we all have bad apples in our bloodlines, i have encountered some in my community as well. prefer to liquidate everything for neo-Hindutwa identity, their goal is do destroy us ironically...

Blood + Faith + Religion is what matters to me, everything else is just Huwa.

btw what kind of Zoroastrian are you ? Priest or Commoner ? i have heard that majority of migrants were Priests who wanted to preserve some kind of Holy Flame/Torch ?

I'm Arhrvan. Warrior priest.

Married to a Behdin (commoner). Lol

Cheers, Doc

 

[Great Brahmin]

I'm Arhrvan. Warrior priest.

Married to a Behdin (commoner). Lol

Cheers, Doc

what is atharvan-warrior priest ? we have mention of a saint Named Atharva in our literature but i belive his lineage is almost going extinct now.

I belong to a Warrior Priest Tribe as well, it was after birth of Greatest god of our civilization Indra in our Ancestors family we changed our path.

 

[padamchen]

what is atharvan-warrior priest ? we have mention of a saint Named Atharva in our literature but i belive his lineage is almost going extinct now.

I belong to a Warrior Priest Tribe as well, it was after birth of Greatest god of our civilization Indra in our Ancestors family we changed our path.

It's not hyphenated.

Arhrvans are warrior priests.

Behdin are "believers" or the "faithful".

Cheers, Doc

 

[Great Brahmin]

It's not hyphenated.

Arhrvans are warrior priests.

Behdin are "believers" or the "faithful".

Cheers, Doc

basically priests who fight alongside Warrior Caste ?

 

[padamchen]

basically priests who fight alongside Warrior Caste ?

It's different from Hindus.

It's basically warriors who are priests.

Everyone fought. There wasn't the concept of just one fighting arm (Kshatriya).

I guess we fought a lot. And did not have the numbers to specialize.

Cheers, Doc

 

[mohsen]

He have more credibility then Iranian keyboard warriors.

Since he is no longer serving, he is in the position to speak his mind and tell people the truth.

He is a corrupt man running a corrupt airline company, and spewing some B.S to get friendly with his masters both inside and outside!

Iranian missiles wont spare no ship, to think Americans can open the strait of Hormuz without advancing hundreds of kilometers into shores (magically!) is a mere delusion.

keyboard warriors are those who whose words are baseless, and even deny the American's own simulation;
Oh mighty U.S navy, Your ships will counter all Iranian missiles, Your air defense will protect all of your bases and airports in middle east, oh mighty undefeatable lord, Iranian mullahs have rigged your simulation, don't believe it!

Millennium Challenge: When the US Navy Lost a Simulated War With Iran

 

[TheImmortal]

He have more credibility then Iranian keyboard warriors.

Since he is no longer serving, he is in the position to speak his mind and tell people the truth.


Let me show you what Iraq had in 1991:-



---


USN on the whole is exceptionally powerful and capable. Those incompetent officers were sacked by USN authorities after a thorough investigation of causes of their captivity.

Now google "Operation Praying Mantis."

Nice propaganda.

Iraq at 1991, was a military that acted out of desperation. It had just merely 3 years prior ended a 8 year war with Iran that inflected HEAVY LOSSES both to its troops and equipment and morale.

Trying to compare Saddam military of ‘79 to ‘91 is night and day.

US also had immense knowledge of Saddams entire military operation given that during the Iran-Iraq war they provided weapons, intelligence, strategy assistance, and chemical weapon precursors to Saddam.

All the US did in 1991 was smash a puppet that got too out of hand. A puppet that was already weak and feeble. Let’s not forget the iconic picture of Donald Rumsfeld shaking hands with Saddam.

Let’s not act like saddams air defense systems were a Major firewall. Iran’s airforce throughout the war attacked Iraq with impunity and even hit its nuclear reactor.

An air defense system is only as good as its radar and crew. Saddam was known for his purges. So his troops skills and capability is in question.

 

[LeGenD]

Iranian missiles wont spare no ship,

1. They would have a comprehensive picture of the positions of your assets within and around Iran. They have scores of satellites, and airborne/seaborne radar systems for these ends, and range is not an issue. When you have this kind of information at your disposal, next step is to take them out.

2. They will dictate the course of engagement with their long-range weapons.

AGM-86B ALCM range = 2500 KM
AGM-86C ALCM range = 950 KM
AGM-86D ALCM range = 1320 KM
Tomahawk cruise missile range = ~2500 KM

They have a large fleet of strategic bombers to launch ALCM. Every strategic bomber incorporate formidable electronic warfare capabilities to jam/spoof radar systems from vast distances, and B-2 Spirit is virtually invisible to any radar system anyways.

Ohio-class submarine - alone - carry 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a time. Enter entire USN and you are dealing with too much firepower from this spectrum alone. Now complement this layer of firepower with a large fleet of strategic bombers, and you are looking at hundreds of long-range cruise missiles heading towards your assets from multiple directions in one go and such a barrage will overwhelm your defenses and C&C capabilities.

And I haven't even touched the subject of USAF and USN aircraft which will bring their extensive electronic warfare and offensive capabilities to the battlefield on top of American naval assets and strategic bombers.

3. American vessels are not defenseless. FYI: https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/uss-...ise-missiles-in-yemeni-waters-in-2016.543523/

As of your attempt to target American military bases across the Middle East - all are heavily guarded and protected with battle-proven PAC-3 MDS. And US might reinforce them with additional set-of-defenses including formidable THAAD before hostilities shall commence.

to think Americans can open the strait of Hormuz without advancing hundreds of kilometers into shores (magically!) is a mere delusion.

They do not need to. See above.

keyboard warriors are those who whose words are baseless, and even deny the American's own simulation;
Oh mighty U.S navy, Your ships will counter all Iranian missiles, Your air defense will protect all of your bases and airports in middle east, oh mighty undefeatable lord, Iranian mullahs have rigged your simulation, don't believe it!

Millennium Challenge: When the US Navy Lost a Simulated War With Iran

This phony simulation is propaganda to misguide the gullible. FYI: https://warontherocks.com/2015/11/m...a-corrupted-military-exercise-and-its-legacy/

Food for thought for the wise.

Aegis (AN/SPY-1) radar system can track over 100 targets in real-time and provide fire solution for multiple targets at a time. USN have [70] Arleigh Burke class destroyers in its inventory, and all of them can exchange information for enriched target profiling (sensor fusion). Nothing is overwhelming these sensors and such a massive fleet.

A single Arleigh Burke class destroyer is a fortress of a warship: https://whitefleet.net/2017/07/31/the-arleigh-burke-class-destroyer-ddg-51-an-in-depth-guide/

 

[gambit]

US also had immense knowledge of Saddams entire military operation given that during the Iran-Iraq war they provided weapons, intelligence, strategy assistance, and chemical weapon precursors to Saddam.

That is hilarious considering the Iraqi military is Soviet sourced. And as far as US knowledge of combat tactics from these Soviet weaponry, we got them from Eastern European countries. Egypt gave US plenty of knowledge on how the Soviets trained the Egyptian military. In other words, we already have a good idea of how the Iraqi military will BEHAVE even before Desert Storm.

Take aerial bombardment, for example. The WW II and B-52 kind. Only a few countries and their military actually experienced it and knows what it is like. Iran is not on that list. According to the Iraqi soldiers testimonies, a conservative estimate was %25 desertion rate from the stress of B-52 bombardment of day and night. And we even gave 24 hrs notice of when the B-52s will be overhead. You think the Iranian military leadership does not know of this? That the Iranian generals do not know how their troops would behave?

Take communication, for another example. Elite troops are trained to act autonomously when they are incommunicado with HQ. Regular troops are not so trained and when they do not have regular directives from their leadership, morale plummets. We WILL sever or seriously damage major communication lines -- any method thereof -- of how the Iranian military leadership keep contact with its units. You can bet whatever next yr's salary on that.

 

[mohsen]

1. They would have a comprehensive picture of the positions of your assets within and around Iran. They have scores of satellites, and airborne/seaborne radar systems for these ends, and range is not an issue. When you have this kind of information at your disposal, next step is to take them out.

2. They will dictate the course of engagement with their long-range weapons.

AGM-86B ALCM range = 2500 KM
AGM-86C ALCM range = 950 KM
AGM-86D ALCM range = 1320 KM
Tomahawk cruise missile range = ~2500 KM

They have a large fleet of strategic bombers to launch ALCM. Every strategic bomber incorporate formidable electronic warfare capabilities to jam/spoof radar systems from vast distances, and B-2 Spirit is virtually invisible to any radar system anyways.

Ohio-class submarine - alone - carry 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a time. Enter entire USN and you are dealing with too much firepower from this spectrum alone. Now complement this layer of firepower with a large fleet of strategic bombers, and you are looking at hundreds of long-range cruise missiles heading towards your assets from multiple directions in one go and such a barrage will overwhelm your defenses and C&C capabilities.

And I haven't even touched the subject of USAF and USN aircraft which will bring their extensive electronic warfare and offensive capabilities to the battlefield on top of American naval assets and strategic bombers.

3. American vessels are not defenseless. FYI: https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/uss-...ise-missiles-in-yemeni-waters-in-2016.543523/

As of your attempt to target American military bases across the Middle East - all are heavily guarded and protected with battle-proven PAC-3 MDS. And US might reinforce them with additional set-of-defenses including formidable THAAD before hostilities shall commence.

yeah yeah, I know how Americans advertise their junkie toys as undefeatable, undetectable, impenetrable systems, Like this one:

Houthis have denied any missile launch against U.S ships, even American themselves called it possible missile launch, cause there was no sign of any actual missile, let alone proving it was from houthis.

only a fool would believe that houthis will divert their attack on a third party to give them an excuse to destroy their coastal radars and helping Saudis.


posting unproven and one-sided American/Saudi propaganda wont help you in this discussion.
Did the Houthis sink a warship or hit an oil tanker?

You may believe their propaganda, but in reality, what we have seen in Lebanon, Syria and Yemen wars is ineffectiveness of their junkies and nothing more.

We have seen how Israel was unable to find Hizbollah's bases in 70 km area just next to their borders.

We have seen how super duper American weapons and intelligence destroyed Yemeni's ballistic missile bases, but only in their wet dreams!

We know how U.S/Saudis claim Patriot intercepted all of the Yemeni's ballistic missiles, the only problem is that even American experts don't believe it.

but you are free to believe it.

This phony simulation is propaganda to misguide the gullible. FYI: https://warontherocks.com/2015/11/m...a-corrupted-military-exercise-and-its-legacy/

did you wanted to confirm my words? cause that's what 's in that article, in fact it shows how in previous simulation, Americans have cheated as well, to cover up the ineffectiveness of their junkies! I bet you didn't even read it!!!

Food for thought for the wise.

Aegis (AN/SPY-1) radar system can track over 100 targets in real-time and provide fire solution for multiple targets at a time. USN have [70] Arleigh Burke class destroyers in its inventory, and all of them can exchange information for enriched target profiling (sensor fusion). Nothing is overwhelming these sensors and such a massive fleet.

A single Arleigh Burke class destroyer is a fortress of a warship: https://whitefleet.net/2017/07/31/the-arleigh-burke-class-destroyer-ddg-51-an-in-depth-guide/

back in 2012, Hezbollah's drone "Ayoub" humiliated all of these junkies, beside the Israeli junkies!

 

[LeGenD]

Nice propaganda.

Iraq at 1991, was a military that acted out of desperation. It had just merely 3 years prior ended a 8 year war with Iran that inflected HEAVY LOSSES both to its troops and equipment and morale.

Really?

By 1988 Iran was demoralized by the persistent failure of its many “final” offensives over the years, by the prospect of unending casualties, by its declining ability to import civilian goods as well as military supplies, and by the Scud missile attacks on Teheran. But what finally ended the war was Iraq’s belated reversion to main-force offensive action on the ground. Having long conserved its forces and shifted to all-mechanized configurations to circumvent the reluctance of its troops to face enemy fire, Iraq attacked on a large scale in April 1988. The end came on July 18, when Iran accepted UN Resolution 598 calling for an immediate cease-fire, though minor Iraqi attacks continued for a few more days after the truce came into effect on July 20, 1988.

Source: https://www.history.com/topics/iran-iraq-war

Who was demoralized again?

Media-based reports were pointing out the same: https://www.csmonitor.com/1988/0701/omaj.html

Google following:-

1. Second battle of Al-Faw
2. Operation Forty Stars

---

Saddam Hussein ordered invasion of Kuwait in 1990:

Doesn't look like a country demoralized by years of war with Iran.

Trying to compare Saddam military of ‘79 to ‘91 is night and day.

Sure.

When Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990, the Iraqi army was the fourth largest army in the world. Its active regular strength had increased from 180,000 men in early 1980, before the start of the Iran-Iraq War, to over 800,000 men in early 1990 -- before Saddam Hussein took his decision to invade Kuwait. Its forces had the potential to mobilize to as many as 2,000,000 men, or roughly 75% of all Iraqi men between 18 and 34. The Iraqi army's tank strength had risen from 2,700 to at least 5,700 weapons between 1980 and 1990, and its total tube artillery strength had risen from 2,300 weapons to 3,700.

Source: https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/legacy_files/files/media/csis/pubs/iraq88-93.pdf

US also had immense knowledge of Saddams entire military operation given that during the Iran-Iraq war they provided weapons, intelligence, strategy assistance, and chemical weapon precursors to Saddam.

See above.

All the US did in 1991 was smash a puppet that got too out of hand. A puppet that was already weak and feeble. Let’s not forget the iconic picture of Donald Rumsfeld shaking hands with Saddam.

Weak and feeble puppet?

ARMY in 1990:-

The Iraqi army was extremely well equipped by Third World standards. It had at least 5,700 tanks and many experts feel the figure was closer to 6,700.224 In addition to its main battle tanks, Iraq had more than 3,000 heavy tank transporters. It also had at least 3,500 to 4,000 other armored vehicles. The Iraqi army had large numbers of anti-tank weapons, including AT-3 Saggers, AT-4 Spigots, SS-11s, Milans, and HOTs. Iraq had one of the most formidable artillery forces in the world. Its major tube artillery included 3,000 to 5,000 towed and 500 self-propelled weapons. Iraq also had extensive surface-to-surface rocket and missile forces. These included a minimum of 24-30 FROG launchers and up to 100-150 Scud launchers, including fixed sites and modified trucks. The army had 490 helicopters, of which 190 were attack helicopters. The armed types included 56 Bo-105s with AS-11s and HOT, 40 Mi-24s, 30 SA-316s with AS-12s, 13 SA-321s, some armed with Exocets, and 20 SA-342s armed with machine guns and cannon. The other helicopters included 15 heavy transports, 225 medium transports, and 124 light helicopters. Iraq had a separate air defense command that cooperated with the air force as part of an integrated air defense system. It also, however, had many lighter air defense weapons that were deployed with army units at the corps level or lower. These included some 7,000 antiaircraft guns, with a number of ZSU-23-4 radar-guided self-propelled weapons, and numerous heavy anti-aircraft guns ranging from 85mm to 130mm. Iraq also had some 15,000 mobile and man-portable SA-7, SA-8, SA-9, SA-13, SA-14, and SA-16 weapons, and roughly 100 Roland fire units on self propelled armored vehicles.

Source: https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/legacy_files/files/media/csis/pubs/iraq88-93.pdf

AIR FORCE in 1990:-

According to a U.S. air force estimate made after the war, Iraq had the sixth largest air force in the world by the summer of 1990. It had about 40,000 active personnel, including 10,000 air defense personnel. Most estimates indicate that Iraq had 700 to 770 fighters, bombers, and armed trainer aircraft. These were supported by 200 other transport and special purpose aircraft, including an Iraqi-built airborne early warning aircraft derived from a Soviet IL-76 transport. These aircraft were dispersed in 44 major operating bases, a total of 122 airfields, and roughly 600 aircraft shelters. Iraq's combat aircraft included French Mirage F-1 fighters, the export version of the Soviet MiG-29 Fulcrum interceptor and air superiority fighter, the MiG-27 Flogger strike fighter, the MiG-25 Foxbat interceptor, the MiG-23 Flogger fighter-bomber, the MiG-21 Fishbed fighter, the Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot ground attack airplane, the Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer long-range strike aircraft range, Tupolev Tu-16 Badger and Tu-22 Blinder bombers, and the Su-7, Su-20, and Su-22 Fitter family of attack fighters. Iraq also had PRC-made H-6 and J-7 aircraft, and Czech L-39 armed trainers. Iraq operated three of the most sophisticated combat aircraft in the world before the Gulf War began. These included the MiG-29, Su-24, and Mirage F-1. Iraq's 65 French made Mirage F-1s were the elite section of the Iraqi air force. They carried a wide range of the latest French and Soviet guided missiles and munitions, and laser-guided air-to-surface weapons. Their pilots were French trained and had more air-to-air combat training than the pilots flying Soviet-made aircraft.

Source: https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/legacy_files/files/media/csis/pubs/iraq88-93.pdf

In 1991, Chinese military officers watched as the United States dismantled the Iraqi Army, a force with more battle experience and somewhat greater technical sophistication than the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Source: https://nationalinterest.org/feature/what-scares-chinas-military-the-1991-gulf-war-11724

---

Iraq was weak only in the naval front. This is understandable since Iraq is lacking in access to Arabian waters.

Iraqi navy specialized in mine warfare capability though. Incidents occurred during the Persian Gulf War (1991): http://articles.latimes.com/1991-02-19/news/mn-1533_1_air-campaign

Let’s not act like saddams air defense systems were a Major firewall. Iran’s airforce throughout the war attacked Iraq with impunity and even hit its nuclear reactor.

IRIAF had American equipment which helped; F-14 Tomcat was/is a formidable aircraft in particular. Nevertheless, both sides suffered losses in aerial clashes:

https://warisboring.com/in-the-iran-iraq-war-f-5s-and-mig-21s-fought-to-a-standstill/
http://www.acig.info/artman/publish/article_404.shtml

Iran lost one of its finest pilots Hashem All-e-Agha in one of the aerial clashes.

---

Iraqi defenses improved throughout the 1980s.

AIR DEFENSE in 1990:-

According to one U.S. estimate, Iraq had a total of 16,000 radar-guided and heat seeking surface-to-air missiles, including the large numbers of lighter army systems described earlier, and a much smaller numbers of heavier SA-2s, SA-3s, and SA-6s. These heavier surface-to-air defense missiles were operated by a air defense force, organized into air defense units which were part of the army, but tied operationally to the air force. Iraq had approximately 20-30 operational SA-2 batteries with 160 launch units, 25-50 SA-3 batteries with 140 launch units, and 36-55 SA-6 batteries with well over 100 fire units. Iraq claimed to have modified the SA-2 missile to use an infrared terminal seeker, to supplement the SA-2's normal radio command guidance system, but it is unclear that such systems were actually deployed. Iraq's medium surface-to-air defenses included 20 SA-8 batteries with 30- 40 fire units, 60-100 SA-9 fire units, some SA-13s, and 50 to 66 Rolands.

To put this air defense strength in perspective, Baghdad had more dense air defenses at the start of the Gulf War than any city in Eastern Europe, and more than seven times the total surface-to-air missile launcher strength deployed in Hanoi during the height of the Vietnam war. The U.S. Department of Defense released a highly detailed post war estimate of Iraq's land-based air defense at the time the Gulf War began that credited Iraq with 3,679 major missiles, not including 6,500 SA-7s, 400 SA-9s, 192 SA-13s, and 288 SA-14s. It indicated that Iraq had 972 anti-aircraft artillery sites, 2,404 fixed anti-aircraft guns, and 6,100 mobile anti-aircraft guns.

Source: https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/legacy_files/files/media/csis/pubs/iraq88-93.pdf

An air defense system is only as good as its radar and crew. Saddam was known for his purges. So his troops skills and capability is in question.

No army is perfect, particularly troops. However, Iraqi army was in good shape in 1991.

American warfighting capability completely changed after Vietnam War. Weapons which were effective against them in Vietnam, were no longer effective against them in the Persian Gulf War (1991). Vietnam War was an excellent teacher.

 

[Sineva]

The Iraqi army was extremely well equipped by Third World standards

Yeah and despite being "well equipped by third world standards",and despite having the backing of the soviets,the west and the arabs,the iraqis had barely been able to achieve a draw against an iran that had only a handful of allies and had suffered the complete disruption of its military owing to the revolution,oh and that draw came at the cost of the iraqis bleeding themselves white and being completely bankrupted,which was one of the major reasons for the invasion of kuwait in the first place.
So,tell us oh brave keyboard warrior just how would you as cnc of the usn go about demining the strait of hormuz and securing the persian gulf.....because I`m sure there are a lot of people here,including myself,who would love to know your "cunning plan" for what would undoubtedly be the largest naval operation since the korean war.

 

[F-22Raptor]

1. They would have a comprehensive picture of the positions of your assets within and around Iran. They have scores of satellites, and airborne/seaborne radar systems for these ends, and range is not an issue. When you have this kind of information at your disposal, next step is to take them out.

2. They will dictate the course of engagement with their long-range weapons.

AGM-86B ALCM range = 2500 KM
AGM-86C ALCM range = 950 KM
AGM-86D ALCM range = 1320 KM
Tomahawk cruise missile range = ~2500 KM

They have a large fleet of strategic bombers to launch ALCM. Every strategic bomber incorporate formidable electronic warfare capabilities to jam/spoof radar systems from vast distances, and B-2 Spirit is virtually invisible to any radar system anyways.

Ohio-class submarine - alone - carry 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a time. Enter entire USN and you are dealing with too much firepower from this spectrum alone. Now complement this layer of firepower with a large fleet of strategic bombers, and you are looking at hundreds of long-range cruise missiles heading towards your assets from multiple directions in one go and such a barrage will overwhelm your defenses and C&C capabilities.

And I haven't even touched the subject of USAF and USN aircraft which will bring their extensive electronic warfare and offensive capabilities to the battlefield on top of American naval assets and strategic bombers.

3. American vessels are not defenseless. FYI: https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/uss-...ise-missiles-in-yemeni-waters-in-2016.543523/

As of your attempt to target American military bases across the Middle East - all are heavily guarded and protected with battle-proven PAC-3 MDS. And US might reinforce them with additional set-of-defenses including formidable THAAD before hostilities shall commence.


They do not need to. See above.


This phony simulation is propaganda to misguide the gullible. FYI: https://warontherocks.com/2015/11/m...a-corrupted-military-exercise-and-its-legacy/

Food for thought for the wise.

Aegis (AN/SPY-1) radar system can track over 100 targets in real-time and provide fire solution for multiple targets at a time. USN have [70] Arleigh Burke class destroyers in its inventory, and all of them can exchange information for enriched target profiling (sensor fusion). Nothing is overwhelming these sensors and such a massive fleet.

A single Arleigh Burke class destroyer is a fortress of a warship: https://whitefleet.net/2017/07/31/the-arleigh-burke-class-destroyer-ddg-51-an-in-depth-guide/

You forgot to mention the JASSM and JASSM-ER very low observable air launched cruise missiles. B-1's can launch 24 a piece.

Baseline JASSM range- 400km
JASSM-ER- 1,000km

Lockheed is also designing new wings for JASSM to extend its range further. My guess the range will fall between 800-1,000 miles.

Current inventory is 2,200 missiles, with near 5,000 expected to be purchased.

 

[SQ8]

Really?

By 1988 Iran was demoralized by the persistent failure of its many “final” offensives over the years, by the prospect of unending casualties, by its declining ability to import civilian goods as well as military supplies, and by the Scud missile attacks on Teheran. But what finally ended the war was Iraq’s belated reversion to main-force offensive action on the ground. Having long conserved its forces and shifted to all-mechanized configurations to circumvent the reluctance of its troops to face enemy fire, Iraq attacked on a large scale in April 1988. The end came on July 18, when Iran accepted UN Resolution 598 calling for an immediate cease-fire, though minor Iraqi attacks continued for a few more days after the truce came into effect on July 20, 1988.

Source: https://www.history.com/topics/iran-iraq-war

Who was demoralized again?

Media-based reports were pointing out the same: https://www.csmonitor.com/1988/0701/omaj.html

Google following:-

1. Second battle of Al-Faw
2. Operation Forty Stars

---

Saddam Hussein ordered invasion of Kuwait in 1990:

Doesn't look like a country demoralized by years of war with Iran.


Sure.

When Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990, the Iraqi army was the fourth largest army in the world. Its active regular strength had increased from 180,000 men in early 1980, before the start of the Iran-Iraq War, to over 800,000 men in early 1990 -- before Saddam Hussein took his decision to invade Kuwait. Its forces had the potential to mobilize to as many as 2,000,000 men, or roughly 75% of all Iraqi men between 18 and 34. The Iraqi army's tank strength had risen from 2,700 to at least 5,700 weapons between 1980 and 1990, and its total tube artillery strength had risen from 2,300 weapons to 3,700.

Source: https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/legacy_files/files/media/csis/pubs/iraq88-93.pdf




See above.


Weak and feeble puppet?

ARMY in 1990:-

The Iraqi army was extremely well equipped by Third World standards. It had at least 5,700 tanks and many experts feel the figure was closer to 6,700.224 In addition to its main battle tanks, Iraq had more than 3,000 heavy tank transporters. It also had at least 3,500 to 4,000 other armored vehicles. The Iraqi army had large numbers of anti-tank weapons, including AT-3 Saggers, AT-4 Spigots, SS-11s, Milans, and HOTs. Iraq had one of the most formidable artillery forces in the world. Its major tube artillery included 3,000 to 5,000 towed and 500 self-propelled weapons. Iraq also had extensive surface-to-surface rocket and missile forces. These included a minimum of 24-30 FROG launchers and up to 100-150 Scud launchers, including fixed sites and modified trucks. The army had 490 helicopters, of which 190 were attack helicopters. The armed types included 56 Bo-105s with AS-11s and HOT, 40 Mi-24s, 30 SA-316s with AS-12s, 13 SA-321s, some armed with Exocets, and 20 SA-342s armed with machine guns and cannon. The other helicopters included 15 heavy transports, 225 medium transports, and 124 light helicopters. Iraq had a separate air defense command that cooperated with the air force as part of an integrated air defense system. It also, however, had many lighter air defense weapons that were deployed with army units at the corps level or lower. These included some 7,000 antiaircraft guns, with a number of ZSU-23-4 radar-guided self-propelled weapons, and numerous heavy anti-aircraft guns ranging from 85mm to 130mm. Iraq also had some 15,000 mobile and man-portable SA-7, SA-8, SA-9, SA-13, SA-14, and SA-16 weapons, and roughly 100 Roland fire units on self propelled armored vehicles.

Source: https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/legacy_files/files/media/csis/pubs/iraq88-93.pdf

AIR FORCE in 1990:-

According to a U.S. air force estimate made after the war, Iraq had the sixth largest air force in the world by the summer of 1990. It had about 40,000 active personnel, including 10,000 air defense personnel. Most estimates indicate that Iraq had 700 to 770 fighters, bombers, and armed trainer aircraft. These were supported by 200 other transport and special purpose aircraft, including an Iraqi-built airborne early warning aircraft derived from a Soviet IL-76 transport. These aircraft were dispersed in 44 major operating bases, a total of 122 airfields, and roughly 600 aircraft shelters. Iraq's combat aircraft included French Mirage F-1 fighters, the export version of the Soviet MiG-29 Fulcrum interceptor and air superiority fighter, the MiG-27 Flogger strike fighter, the MiG-25 Foxbat interceptor, the MiG-23 Flogger fighter-bomber, the MiG-21 Fishbed fighter, the Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot ground attack airplane, the Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer long-range strike aircraft range, Tupolev Tu-16 Badger and Tu-22 Blinder bombers, and the Su-7, Su-20, and Su-22 Fitter family of attack fighters. Iraq also had PRC-made H-6 and J-7 aircraft, and Czech L-39 armed trainers. Iraq operated three of the most sophisticated combat aircraft in the world before the Gulf War began. These included the MiG-29, Su-24, and Mirage F-1. Iraq's 65 French made Mirage F-1s were the elite section of the Iraqi air force. They carried a wide range of the latest French and Soviet guided missiles and munitions, and laser-guided air-to-surface weapons. Their pilots were French trained and had more air-to-air combat training than the pilots flying Soviet-made aircraft.

Source: https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/legacy_files/files/media/csis/pubs/iraq88-93.pdf

In 1991, Chinese military officers watched as the United States dismantled the Iraqi Army, a force with more battle experience and somewhat greater technical sophistication than the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

Source: https://nationalinterest.org/feature/what-scares-chinas-military-the-1991-gulf-war-11724

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Iraq was weak only in the naval front. This is understandable since Iraq is lacking in access to Arabian waters.

Iraqi navy specialized in mine warfare capability though. Incidents occurred during the Persian Gulf War (1991): http://articles.latimes.com/1991-02-19/news/mn-1533_1_air-campaign


IRIAF had American equipment which helped; F-14 Tomcat was/is a formidable aircraft in particular. Nevertheless, both sides suffered losses in aerial clashes:

https://warisboring.com/in-the-iran-iraq-war-f-5s-and-mig-21s-fought-to-a-standstill/
http://www.acig.info/artman/publish/article_404.shtml

Iran lost one of its finest pilots Hashem All-e-Agha in one of the aerial clashes.

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Iraqi defenses improved throughout the 1980s.

AIR DEFENSE in 1990:-

According to one U.S. estimate, Iraq had a total of 16,000 radar-guided and heat seeking surface-to-air missiles, including the large numbers of lighter army systems described earlier, and a much smaller numbers of heavier SA-2s, SA-3s, and SA-6s. These heavier surface-to-air defense missiles were operated by a air defense force, organized into air defense units which were part of the army, but tied operationally to the air force. Iraq had approximately 20-30 operational SA-2 batteries with 160 launch units, 25-50 SA-3 batteries with 140 launch units, and 36-55 SA-6 batteries with well over 100 fire units. Iraq claimed to have modified the SA-2 missile to use an infrared terminal seeker, to supplement the SA-2's normal radio command guidance system, but it is unclear that such systems were actually deployed. Iraq's medium surface-to-air defenses included 20 SA-8 batteries with 30- 40 fire units, 60-100 SA-9 fire units, some SA-13s, and 50 to 66 Rolands.

To put this air defense strength in perspective, Baghdad had more dense air defenses at the start of the Gulf War than any city in Eastern Europe, and more than seven times the total surface-to-air missile launcher strength deployed in Hanoi during the height of the Vietnam war. The U.S. Department of Defense released a highly detailed post war estimate of Iraq's land-based air defense at the time the Gulf War began that credited Iraq with 3,679 major missiles, not including 6,500 SA-7s, 400 SA-9s, 192 SA-13s, and 288 SA-14s. It indicated that Iraq had 972 anti-aircraft artillery sites, 2,404 fixed anti-aircraft guns, and 6,100 mobile anti-aircraft guns.

Source: https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/legacy_files/files/media/csis/pubs/iraq88-93.pdf


No army is perfect, particularly troops. However, Iraqi army was in good shape in 1991.

American warfighting capability completely changed after Vietnam War. Weapons which were effective against them in Vietnam, were no longer effective against them in the Persian Gulf War (1991). Vietnam War was an excellent teacher.

Ill say less on the topic but just point out that the above post is what I consider to be well researched.