Iran is expanding its sphere of influence. Iranian T-72 tanks in Iraq
Iraq’s struggle with Islamic state militants is not only the struggle of the Iraqi armed forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga, but also the struggle of an increasing number of Shiite militias, most of whom receive substantial support from Iran. The Iraqi equivalent of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, called Kataib Hezbollah, is without a doubt the most powerful and most influential of all Shiite militias currently present in Iraq. This is mainly due to Iranian financial assistance, the supply of lethal weapons and the presence of Iranian advisers in the field.
Iran has provided these Shiite militias with various weaponsManufactured in Iran, 12,7-mm sniper rifles AM.50, 40-mm grenade launchers Nasir, jeeps armed Safir 107-mm multiply launchers, recoilless rifles and even 122-mm multiple rocket launchers HM-20. The number and type of weapons supplied depended on the number of detachments of these militias and their number.
However, rumors that militias in Iraq have Iranian Tankshave not yet been confirmed. These rumors quickly spread around the world every time when some traces of a tank transporter were found passing near the western border of Iran. Now, finally, there is evidence of the existence of Iranian tanks in Iraq, which joined the fight against the Islamic state.
In the photo above, the tank takes out fighters from the city of Tikrit. This is the Iranian T-72C, which can be clearly distinguished from the Iraqi tanks T-72 Ural and T-72M1 due to the presence of 155 attachment points for Dynamic Protection (DZ) Contact-1, as well as on smoke grenade launchers on the sides of the tower in contrast from the tank T-72M1, whose installations are located in front of the tower. Surprisingly, all DZ blocks are missing on this sample.
Some "experts" could say that this single T-72С tank may be part of a non-advertised deal recently concluded between Iraq and Russia, but the Iranian camouflage pattern on the tank leaves no doubt about its origin. For comparison, the Iranian tank T-72С (with DZ blocks) during the parade in the photo below.
At present, it is not known whether the T-72 tank taken off near Tikrit is part of Kataib Hezbollah’s arsenal, or is actually in service with the Iraqi army. It is known that Kataib Hezbollah has only one tank M1 Abrams, which was abandoned by the Iraqi army. Thus, this organization does not have fire support with heavy weapons, which is very important for close combat in cities such as Tikrit, for example. From this point of view, Iran, which supplies a limited number of T-72 tanks from the warehouses of the Iranian army and the Revolutionary Guard, is completely logical.
Regardless of the impact that tanks may have on the further course of military operations, it is clear that Iran’s influence on conflicts in the Middle East and other areas should not be underestimated. Currently, Iran is using its defense industry to increase influence in many Middle Eastern countries, starting with Iraq, Syria and Yemen and ending with Libya. Therefore, his intention to expand the sphere of influence becomes even clearer and definitely Iran should not be underestimated when developing political steps in the Middle East.
More photo testimonies have recently appeared showing the presence of Iranian tanks in Iraq. In the new photographs, allegedly the same T-72C tank, which was seen near Tikrit, this time it was shot in the city of Samarra, located south of Tikrit. New pictures appeared immediately the next day after the Iranian tank T-72С was seen in Iraq.
The T-72C tank was tested by Kassem Al-Araji (standing in the middle), with the right hand of the head of the Badr organization. On the question of who should first of all help Iraq in its fight against the Islamic state, Kassem Al-Araji said earlier that “in our fight against the Islamic state we want help from Iran, not the US” and that Iran played “the main role in supporting our armed forces. "
This support now undoubtedly also includes the transfer of Iranian T-72C tanks. At least one of them drove into the city of Samarra on a tank trailer of the Iraqi army, accompanied by fighters from the Badr organization.
But in contrast to what was previously supposed, this tank is in service with the Iraqi army, not the Badr organizations or Kataib Hezbollah, which have the greatest influence of all the numerous Shiite groups fighting in Iraq. A source in the Badr organization close to Kassem al-Araji said that “Badr does not have a mechanized unit. The tanks are operated by Iraqi ISF security forces, but their crews can sympathize with our Badr organization. ”
Since the T-72C is more modern than the old T-72 Ural and T-72M1, it seems likely that the Iraqi military was trained in T-72С tanks in Iran, which is another indication of the strong ties between the two countries.
Materials used:
www.spioenkop.blogspot.ru
www.ru.wikipedia.org
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