You are the leader of Iran...

[Bozo Erectus]

...The United states has just begun bombing your cities, severing your infrastructure, and generally giving you the global superpower version of Israels Lebanese Hezbollah 'strategy'. Youre options are limted. You are completely unable to strike back at the US naval assets pounding your country, or the planes dropping the bombs on you. The only thing that you CAN do, is to attack US forces directly in Iraq. Would you do it? Or just take the beating from the US quietly?

Please, spare me the jingoistic replies about how the Iranians are crazy and monsters, and evil and all of that stupid crap. Try to think like a strategist.

edit: or a tactician? I always get strategy and tactics mixed up.

 

[kulade]

I'd move the majority of my land forces in one mega-lump and try to take and hold either Baghdad of Basra. If the Americans lose a major Iraq city, they will be obligated by the public to retake their assets. I'd see if I could get my Hezbollah buddies to flank the west-side of Iraq as well.

They I would evacuate my Iranian civilians from their bombed-out cities and be sure to get many cameramen taking pictures of them to smear the Evil Imperialist Pig Eating Americans on global TV.

 

[CartesianFart]

Kill all the Ayatollahs and the radical cleric demagogues and solidify myself by allying with pro-western citizens immediately.Also,keep mums on the alliance with opium traffickers for extra added money to buy off the generals.

 

[ComradeDavo]

Ok, to think as the Iranaian leader i'd...

Attack US fores in Iraq. Cause a smany casualities as posiable.

Attack Isreal. War with Isreal would be the key to getting the rest of the middle east involved. Use long range misiles to do this.

Enourage Hezbollah to start making alot of noise again. Try and get as many Palestians to attack the Isrealis as possiable.

 

[Xanikk999]

It would be kind of hard to adopt an iranian leaders mindset.

If i did it wouldnt be me and really wouldnt be my opinion.

With that said il assume i have my mindset. I would appeal to the U.N for aid because they bombed us for no good reason!

I know that wouldnt work, so in that case i would flee to china or something.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

Ok, to think as the Iranaian leader i'd...

Attack US fores in Iraq. Cause a smany casualities as posiable.

Attack Isreal. War with Isreal would be the key to getting the rest of the middle east involved. Use long range misiles to do this.

Yep. Israel couldnt even stop missiles from Hezbollah. I doubt they or the US would have much more success with the more advanced Iranian missiles.

Enourage Hezbollah to start making alot of noise again. Try and get as many Palestians to attack the Isrealis as possiable.

Pin down the Israelis as much as possible. Hey, for a peacenik, youre a pretty darned good strategic thinker

 

[Jawz II]

Hit back anyway I can, of course, I mean what else is there to do?

There's no other option.

 

[ComradeDavo]

Yep. Israel couldnt even stop missiles from Hezbollah. I doubt they or the US would have much more success with the more advanced Iranian missiles.

Indeed!

Pin down the Israelis as much as possible. Hey, for a peacenik, youre a pretty darned good strategic thinker

I blame it on Civ!

 

[JollyRoger]

Well, I would have sprung my invasion of Iraq at the same time the Americans did, but since that ship has sailed, I would take my beating for now. Live to fight another day when the U.S. is shocking and awing elsewhere and can't as easily respond to my swallowing up my neighbor they have weakened for me.

 

[Little Raven]

The very first thing I do is shout at someone to get al-Sadr on the line. While they're doing that, I order the oil platforms off shore to be destroyed. Pull up every anti-ship missile I can find, and start blasting every tanker I see in the Straits of Hormuz. I order my inland oil infrastructure to be wired for sabotage but I’ll hold off flipping the switch until it looks like I’m facing an American invasion.

I'm certainly NOT going to attack US forces in Iraq directly, at least in force. That would just result in pretty videos on FOX of Iranian convoys being torched by US airstrikes. Granted, the trucks and tanks are going to get torched regardless, but at least there won't be men inside. I'm going to need them later. I will, of course, give a green light for any Iranian unit who happens to be close enough to strike at US targets.

Hopefully, by now my lackey has Sadr on the phone, or at least one of his high ups. I tell him the situation has now changed, and that if he doesn't want to end up being tortured to death by a Saudi-sponsored Sunni regime in five years, it's time to step up to the plate. His boys will give the Americans infinitely more trouble than my armored columns would anyway.

Then I hit the phones hard, calling India, China, and Russia…explaining just what an American lock on my oil assets means for their future. Try to drum up lots of pictures of Iranian school children being blown up by US bombs and fast track them to CNN. And, most importantly, make sure that none of my generals is getting particularly uppity or seems flush with Western cash.

That should cover the first 24 hours. After that it becomes a hard call.

 

[De Lorimier]

I'd attack Turkmenistan.

 

[joycem10]

How can you successfully attack and hold Iraqi territory in the face of overwhemling air superiority?

Theres strategy and then there is tactics. Moving your forces out of prepared positions over flat terrain with no cover into the face of American air power with no credible anti-air defense or chance of providing friendly air cover is an invitation to the complete destruction of your elite mobile forces.

Now smacking around the jews, thats always a winning proposition in the middle east. Have Hezbollah and Ismlamic Jihad and the rest make attacks on high profile US targets: schools, malls, chem plants. If you got a nuke, use it.

Finally, Silkworms in the striaghts. Right out of the old Harpoon game.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

The very first thing I do is shout at someone to get al-Sadr on the line. While they're doing that, I order the oil platforms off shore to be destroyed. Pull up every anti-ship missile I can find, and start blasting every tanker I see in the Straits of Hormuz. I order my inland oil infrastructure to be wired for sabotage but I’ll hold off flipping the switch until it looks like I’m facing an American invasion.

Destroying all of your oil infrastructure is a good move, especially since you know Western interests will happily build it back up again for you later.

I'm certainly NOT going to attack US forces in Iraq directly, at least in force. That would just result in pretty videos on FOX of Iranian convoys being torched by US airstrikes. Granted, the trucks and tanks are going to get torched regardless, but at least there won't be men inside. I'm going to need them later. I will, of course, give a green light for any Iranian unit who happens to be close enough to strike at US targets.

True, armored columns would be sitting ducks, but how about concentrating massive missile strikes on the Green Zone and anywhere else that American influence is concentrated?

Hopefully, by now my lackey has Sadr on the phone, or at least one of his high ups. I tell him the situation has now changed, and that if he doesn't want to end up being tortured to death by a Saudi-sponsored Sunni regime in five years, it's time to step up to the plate. His boys will give the Americans infinitely more trouble than my armored columns would anyway.

Thats very true. What we've seen so far is just a taste of the mayhem Sadr could unleash.

Then I hit the phones hard, calling India, China, and Russia…explaining just what an American lock on my oil assets means for their future. Try to drum up lots of pictures of Iranian school children being blown up by US bombs and fast track them to CNN. And, most importantly, make sure that none of my generals is getting particularly uppity or seems flush with Western cash.

The world would be against us, thats a given. It would be hard for Iran to completely blow that advantage.

That should cover the first 24 hours. After that it becomes a hard call.

I think Iraq has shown that defeating the US is all about not admitting defeat. Keep sniping, keep setting off IEDs, and the Americans will be gone, regardless of how many statues they topple, or former leaders they capture.

 

[IglooDame]

What LR said, pretty much.

And I'd add - activate the sleeper agents I'd have placed in the US long ago, and also do everything possible to sabotage/bombard Saudi oil production, as well.

 

[Little Raven]

True, armored columns would be sitting ducks, but how about concentrating massive missile strikes on the Green Zone and anywhere else that American influence is concentrated?

I think you severly overestimate Iran's missile capacity. They just don't have the kind of cruise missiles that can fly 600 miles and hit a particular building in a particular spot that we do. They could probably put missiles in Baghdad, but not with any great accuracy. Why risk hitting the wrong target, especially when the Badr Brigade will be on the scene to blow things up nice and personal like?

Save the missiles. You're going to need them later, when the jackles come looking for scraps the lion left behind. The Middle East is a TOUGH neighborhood.

I think Iraq has shown that defeating the US is all about not admitting defeat. Keep sniping, keep setting off IEDs, and the Americans will be gone, regardless of how many statues they toople, or former leaders they capture.

Well maybe, but I thought we were dealing with a Shock and Awe scenario, not an invasion. In which case there's nothing to snipe, and nobody to blow up. All you can do is attack indirectly and survive.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

What LR said, pretty much.

And I'd add - activate the sleeper agents I'd have placed in the US long ago, and also do everything possible to sabotage/bombard Saudi oil production, as well.

Make the enemy feel the pain! The Saudi oil infrastructure is a sitting duck isnt it?

I think you severly overestimate Iran's missile capacity. They just don't have the kind of cruise missiles that can fly 600 miles and hit a particular building in a particular spot that we do. They could probably put missiles in Baghdad, but not with any great accuracy. Why risk hitting the wrong target, especially when the Badr Brigade will be on the scene to blow things up nice and personal like?

Save the missiles. You're going to need them later, when the jackles come looking for scraps the lion left behind.

But remeber how shocked we were at Hezbollahs missile capability? What reason do we have to doubt that Iran has some significant surprises in store for us as well in the missile department?

The Middle East is a TOUGH neighborhood.Well maybe, but I thought we were dealing with a Shock and Awe scenario, not an invasion. In which case there's nothing to snipe, and nobody to blow up. All you can do is attack indirectly and survive.

Shock and awe from a distance is what would favor us, thats why Iran would have to turn the conflict into something else a little more intimate. Either with striking US mainland targets and Suadi oil targets as Igloo suggests, or striking at US positions in Iraq.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

I'd attack Turkmenistan.

Why?

I'd appeal to the UN on account of the fact that Chewbacca lives on Endor.

 

[Little Raven]

And I'd add - activate the sleeper agents I'd have placed in the US long ago, and also do everything possible to sabotage/bombard Saudi oil production, as well.

Has there ever been an effective sleeper agent? Ever? I'm not aware of any...

I considered attacking Saudi production, but decided against it at least until it was clear that an invasion was coming. I think the government of Iran could survive a Shock and Awe campaign, and thus as the leader of that government, I wouldn’t want to do something that drastic because I’m going to have rebuild my country when the bombs stop, and that’s going to be a lot easier if I’m not seen as the aggressor.

Now, if it’s clear that US isn’t going to stop until I’m dead, the situation changes.

 

[Trajan12]

The smart move to make would be surrender...But the fightin move would be to threaten the oil infrastructure as it's already been stated.

 

[Bozo Erectus]

How can you successfully attack and hold Iraqi territory in the face of overwhemling air superiority?

Theres strategy and then there is tactics. Moving your forces out of prepared positions over flat terrain with no cover into the face of American air power with no credible anti-air defense or chance of providing friendly air cover is an invitation to the complete destruction of your elite mobile forces.

Yeah, you might want to hold those in reserve in case of an actual invasion.

Now smacking around the jews, thats always a winning proposition in the middle east. Have Hezbollah and Ismlamic Jihad and the rest make attacks on high profile US targets: schools, malls, chem plants. If you got a nuke, use it.

If all of northern Israel was shut down because of Hezbollah in Lebanon, I think all of Israel would be in deep s__t if it was Iran this time.


You know what scares me? All of this is actually going to happen within a few months, at most.

Has there ever been an effective sleeper agent? Ever? I'm not aware of any...

You mean besides 9/11?