185: Chapter 166 Fracture

April 3, 1982, 5:00 AM, Ahvaz.

Reza had returned from the front line less than three hours ago and had not slept. He went straight to his office.

Karimi was already waiting inside.

"Regarding Mirza," Karimi said, "we have compiled a complete list. What he gave to Iraq was not just intelligence documents."

"What else?"

"Communication codebooks." Karimi pushed the file forward. "After Iraq obtained them, they handed them over to the CIA. The United States can now decipher most of our radio communications."

Reza stared at the line of text without speaking.

Six months. Mirza had done this six months ago. In those six months, how many things had Reza said over the radio? Deployments, plans, weapons development progress—all had been heard by the Americans.

"From now on, all critical communications must be transmitted manually," Reza said. "Use the radio only for valueless content. Regenerate the cryptographic system and distribute it to all front-line command posts within a week."

"Yes."

"Also," Reza said, "go through the parts of Mirza's interrogation records regarding communications completely. I need to know which of our plans have already been exposed."

Just as Karimi was about to leave, Fatima entered.

She placed a report on the desk and stood there without sitting.

"The radar station north of Kermanshah," she said, "was destroyed by Iraqi Special Forces last night. All thirty-one people were killed."

Reza was silent for a moment.

Thirty-one people.

"Mirza's intelligence included the location of that radar station," Fatima said. "A gap has appeared in the northwest direction of our air defense system, which cannot be fully repaired within three months."

"Temporary remedial plan?"

"I have already deployed a mobile radar vehicle. It can maintain basic coverage, but the accuracy and range are much worse."

"Does Iraq know about this gap?" Reza asked.

"They should," Fatima said. "They destroyed that station specifically to create the gap."

She put down the folder in her hand and picked up another one.

Reza noticed she did not look at him.

"Fatima," he said.

"What?"

"What you said last night."

"I have thought it through," she said. "There is no need to discuss it further."

"I have thought it through as well," Reza said. "You are right."

Only then did Fatima look up at him. She said nothing.

"You will continue to be responsible for air defense research and deployment," Reza said. "All technical communication will be relayed through Karimi. Unless it is an emergency, we will not meet directly."

"Fine."

"If it is an emergency," Reza said, "that is a different matter."

"Understood."

She picked up the folder and left.

After the door closed, the office was quiet for a long time.

Karimi did not leave; he stood there watching Reza.

"I have no problem with it," Reza said.

"I know," Karimi said. "I just wanted to say that this decision is the right one."

"I know," Reza said. "The right thing is not necessarily the easy thing."

At 2:00 PM, a message reached Reza through a private channel.

The sender was an Iraqi informant he had known for fifteen years. This person was not in Iran's official intelligence system; he was an Iraqi whom Reza had met back when he was still an engineer, and out of hatred for Saddam Hussein, he volunteered to provide information to Reza.

The message had only three words: City. Bird. Tonight.

This was a code they had agreed upon privately.

City: the target is a civilian city, not the front line.

Bird: aircraft, not missiles or artillery.

Tonight: action tonight.

Reza flipped the note over. There were no more words on the back.

He called for Karimi.

"Iraq is going to use aircraft to drop Chemical weapons on our cities tonight," he said. "A warning sent by one of my old informants."

"Which city?"

"I don't know."

The two men were silent for a while, facing the map.

Saddam Hussein had just lost half of his oil revenue in Rumaila, and his offensive troops had been wiped out. He needed revenge now. He wanted to strike Iran where it hurt the most.

"Ahvaz," Reza said, "or several major cities in Khuzestan. Tehran is too far away; the risk of aircraft penetrating that deep for bombing is too great."

"Should we issue an evacuation order?"

"No."

Karimi was stunned for a moment.

"Why?"

"If we issue an evacuation order, the news will leak," Reza said. "Saddam Hussein will change his target and strike a city we are unprepared for, causing greater losses. We must let him strike where we are prepared."

"This is gambling with civilians."

"I am gambling on a city of 1.7 million people to save several million others," Reza said. "Tell the hospitals in Ahvaz and the surrounding areas to go on alert tonight and prepare for Chemical weapons casualties. Quietly distribute anti-chemical protective gear to various community centers and inform the residents of their locations, but do not issue an emergency notice."

"Yes."

"Also, order all Persia-4 air defense units to go on maximum alert. Tonight, not a single Iraqi aircraft shall drop bombs with impunity."

Karimi left.

Reza burned the note.

The ashes scattered in the ashtray.

He sat there, staring at the ashes, until night fell.