AH Challenge: Have Iran dragged into Desert Storm

Your mission should you chose to accept it is to have Iran participate in Desert Storm.

Bonus points if they launch an independent invasion regardless of what the allies are doing to the south

Double bonus points if the allies stage forces and attack out of Iran

Triple bonus points if they get to annex significant sections of Iraq
 

Bearcat

Banned
Your mission should you chose to accept it is to have Iran participate in Desert Storm.

Bonus points if they launch an independent invasion regardless of what the allies are doing to the south

Double bonus points if the allies stage forces and attack out of Iran

Triple bonus points if they get to annex significant sections of Iraq

You probably need Iran to capitulate Gulf War I sooner, leaving Iran in better shape in the post-war period. IOTL, Iran was pretty exhausted. Not easy to change that. Khomeini dies sooner?

Of course that might also push the war start date up some.

If Iran still has a grudge and the means to do something about it, I could see them not being in the coalition but executing a 'stab in the back' / land grab perhaps two or three days after the Allies launch the ground assault.

I could see them hanging onto a good chunk of the Shiite south. The west won't be happy, but probably won't be willing to restart the war to push them out.
 
Your mission should you chose to accept it is to have Iran participate in Desert Storm.

Bonus points if they launch an independent invasion regardless of what the allies are doing to the south

Double bonus points if the allies stage forces and attack out of Iran

Triple bonus points if they get to annex significant sections of Iraq

They signed a cease-fire under international pressure in August of 1988. Having them go back to war two and a half years later doesn't seem like much of a stretch.
 
I imagine it would have taken much improved relations between the U.S. and Iran, stemming from the arms-for-hostages negotiations or something.
 
An uprising of Shiites just before the land-warfare-phase of Desert Storm against Saddam, with a violent break down of them by Saddam's forces.
When the Coalition invades Iraq, Iran sees the opportunity and moves in to secure Basra and protect the Shiites?
 
An uprising of Shiites just before the land-warfare-phase of Desert Storm against Saddam, with a violent break down of them by Saddam's forces.
When the Coalition invades Iraq, Iran sees the opportunity and moves in to secure Basra and protect the Shiites?

That seems a reasonable idea.
 
Operation Praying Mantis and the shootdown of the airliner probably needs to be avoided, I imagine that would be a very fresh wound and difficult to patch over to arrange an alliance.
 
Well Iran did consider getting involed in the Gulf War, with all the unfriendly realtionships between the Sunni and Shai States. Saddam was so desperate to keep the Iranian's out that he gave back the land he took from them at the end of the Iraq-Iran War.
 
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