149: Chapter 146 Flowing in the Dark

November 25, 1981, Kermanshah.

The agent sent by Iraq had been in this city for five days.

His name was Abdul Karim, a veteran agent of the Iraqi General Staff Intelligence Department.

His mission was to investigate what Iran was doing in the desert south of Kermanshah.

He had already found some clues.

A secret testing ground.

A secret factory.

A large number of engineers and technical workers were coming and going.

But he hadn't yet found the most critical information: what Iran was doing there.

He decided to investigate further.

He rented a car and drove toward the desert.

He knew this was dangerous.

If he were discovered by the Iranians.

He would be arrested, interrogated, and eventually killed.

But he also knew that this information was very important to Iraq.

He drove for two hours.

Finally, he stopped at a spot about five kilometers away from the testing ground.

He took out a pair of binoculars and looked toward the testing ground.

He saw some buildings, some vehicles, and some people walking around.

But he couldn't see clearly what was happening inside those buildings.

He decided to get closer.

He got out of the car and started walking in the desert.

He walked for an hour and finally hid behind a sand dune, about one kilometer away from the testing ground.

He took out the binoculars again.

This time, he saw something more clearly.

He saw a missile.

A large missile that looked like an anti-aircraft missile.

His heart rate increased.

Iran was developing anti-aircraft missiles.

This was very important information.

He continued to observe.

He saw workers walking around the missile.

He saw some testing equipment, cables, and antennas.

This looked like a missile testing site.

He took out a camera and started taking pictures.

He took over a dozen photos, each clearly showing the shape and size of the missile.

Just as he was taking the last photo, he heard a voice.

"Don't move."

He turned around and saw an Iranian holding a gun, pointing it at him.

A thought flashed through Abdul Karim's mind: he had been discovered.

Ahvaz, Reza's office.

Reza was reading a report.

An Iraqi agent had been caught in the desert south of Kermanshah.

He had a camera with over a dozen photos, all of the Persian-4 Missile.

"How was he discovered!?" Reza asked.

"We set up surveillance around the testing ground," Karimi said. "When he got close, our men spotted him."

"Where is he now?"

"In a safe house," Karimi said. "We are interrogating him."

"What did he say!?"

"He said he was a businessman who got lost in the desert," Karimi said. "But we know he is lying. His camera has photos of the missile, and he has Iraqi identification on him."

Reza fell silent.

This was a critical moment.

Iraq now knew that Iran was developing anti-aircraft missiles.

This would change Iraq's strategy.

Iraq would intensify its bombing of Iran and attempt to destroy Iran's air defense system.

But this also gave Reza an opportunity.

"Kill him," Reza said.

"What!?" Karimi looked at Reza.

"Kill him," Reza repeated. "Then leave his body in the desert for the Iraqis to find."

"Why!?"

"Because then, the Iraqis will know their agent was discovered," Reza said. "They will know that Iran is aware they were investigating. This will make the Iraqis more nervous and more impatient."

"And then!?"

"Then," Reza said, "the Iraqis will intensify their bombing. They will try to destroy Iran's air defense facilities before Iran's air defense system is fully deployed. But they don't know that we are already prepared."

Karimi understood.

This was psychological warfare. Reza was trying to manipulate the Iraqis into making the wrong decisions.

"One more thing," Reza said. "Make a copy of those photos, and then through our channels, let the Iraqis know of their existence."

"That way, the Iraqis will know their agent managed to take photos of the missile," Karimi said.

"Correct," Reza said. "The Iraqis will think they have obtained information about Iran's anti-aircraft missiles. They will formulate their bombing plans based on these photos. But these photos only show the missile's exterior, not its performance. The Iraqis will underestimate the capabilities of Iran's anti-aircraft missiles."

This was a multi-layered scheme.

On the surface, the Iraqis got the information they wanted.

But in reality, what the Iraqis received was incomplete and misleading information.

The Iraqis would formulate their strategy based on this information.

But this strategy would be based on a false assumption.

When Iran's anti-aircraft missiles were truly put into service.

The Iraqis would realize that their understanding of Iran's anti-aircraft missiles was wrong.

Baghdad, Iraqi General Staff Intelligence Department.

Hassan Rajab was reading a report.

Abdul Karim was dead.

His body had been found in the desert with gunshot wounds.

His camera had also been found, containing over a dozen photos.

These photos showed that Iran was developing a new type of anti-aircraft missile in the desert south of Kermanshah.

Hassan Rajab gave this report to Saddam Hussein.

After reading the report, Saddam Hussein's expression changed.

"Iran is developing anti-aircraft missiles," he said. "This changes everything."

He paced around his office.

"This means Iran is preparing for our bombing," he said. "This means Iran has realized that their air defense system is too weak."

"Yes," Hassan Rajab said.

"Then we need to accelerate our bombing plan," Saddam Hussein said. "We need to destroy Iran's air defense facilities before Iran's anti-aircraft missiles are deployed."

He stopped and looked at Hassan Rajab.

"Formulate a new bombing plan," he said. "I want to conduct a large-scale bombing of Iran before mid-December. I want to destroy all of Iran's air defense facilities, and I want to destroy all of Iran's military targets."

"Yes," Hassan Rajab said.

But he knew in his heart that this might be a wrong decision.

Because Iran was already prepared.

Iran already had new anti-aircraft missiles.

Iraq's bombing might encounter an unexpected air defense network.

Ahvaz, Reza's office.

Reza was reviewing some Iraqi military intelligence.

Iraq was preparing for a large-scale bombing operation.

The bombing was expected to take place between December 15th and 20th.

The targets of the bombing were Iranian air defense facilities, oil fields, ports, and military bases.

This was exactly what Reza wanted.

He wrote a line in his notebook:

"The Iraqis have taken the bait. They think they have obtained information on Iran's anti-aircraft missiles, and they think they can destroy them before Iran's air defense system is fully deployed. But they don't know that Iran is already prepared. On December 15th, the Iraqis will discover that their understanding of Iran is wrong."

He picked up the phone and called Fatima.

"How is the missile deployment going!?" he asked.

"They are already in place," Fatima's voice came from the other end of the line. "Ten missiles, distributed across five air defense positions."

"Very good," Reza said. "The Iraqi bombing is about to begin. I need you to be ready."

"I am ready," Fatima said.

The call ended.

Reza sat in his office, looking out at Ahvaz.

Sixteen months left.

But now, every day was becoming more critical.