Tempted by the promise of machinery for manufacturing weapons of mass destruction, Saddam reluctantly agreed to pay in gold. Against the Soviet Union's shadow, Saddam had no room to refuse.
The manufacturing equipment would be covertly shipped to the Middle East by sea, then trucked into Iraq. Victor's operation ran smoothly—though the CIA was watching his arms trade closely, these shipments were declared as mere mechanical equipment. There was nothing to raise suspicion.
The Americans and their allies were trapped by their own assumptions: Victor's merchandise had to be weapons and ammunition, and these "machines" were just a clever smokescreen. But they overlooked a crucial fact—chemical weapons are weapons too.
Alongside the chemical arms deal, Saddam pressed to purchase conventional weapons from the Soviets. After the Gulf War, Iraq's "fourth largest" army had lost countless armored vehicles, and the U.S. embargo crippled efforts to replenish them. Saddam was desperate to restore his armored forces, even if it meant buying battered T-72 tanks—the "monkey version" abused in the Gulf War.
Victor felt uneasy. It wasn't that he didn't want the deal—on the contrary, a rich and foolish Saddam was a prime target for Soviet exploitation. But right now, during this sensitive chemical weapons deal, he couldn't afford to draw attention from the CIA.
Selling Soviet T-72s openly risked provoking U.S. backlash and might expose the chemical weapons equipment hidden behind the scenes. That would ruin everything.
So Victor politely declined Saddam's request.
"How about this?" Victor suggested carefully. "Given the current international situation, delivering T-72s to Iraq might be impossible. But if you need arms urgently, our shoulder-fired Stinger missiles and Europe's DOW anti-tank launchers could serve you well. Perhaps you'd consider these?"
Victor's offer was tactful: no tanks, but useful guerrilla weapons. Whether Saddam accepted was another matter.
Saddam frowned in displeasure. "Does Mr. Victor think we can't afford it? Or that we don't deserve Soviet weapons?"
Victor held his tongue, secretly regarding Saddam as a madman unworthy of Soviet steel. The man fought early 20th-century wars with modern weaponry—a waste of precious resources. Still, Victor kept such thoughts to himself.
"No, no. It's not that you don't deserve them," Victor said cautiously. "But selling Soviet tanks now risks alerting the Americans. They mustn't discover the chemical weapons trade. That would be disastrous."
Saddam laughed heartily. "I thought you were nervous. But don't worry, only a few senior officials know of our deal. The Americans will never find out."
Victor wasn't convinced. Even Saddam's own army had been infiltrated by CIA and MI6 agents preparing for mutiny. How could he trust such reassurances?
"Then how about this," Victor offered. "You order Type 59 tanks from China. That won't raise American suspicions. I'll persuade Soviet leaders to modernize the Type 59s—fire control, targeting systems, reactive armor. Even without T-72s, you'll quickly restore armored strength."
At the mention of the Type 59, Saddam's eyes lit up. The Chinese tank brought memories of the Iran-Iraq War—massive, billion-dollar deals and abundant inventory.
"Purchasing modified Type 59s would temporarily boost Iraq's armored capability. We'll equip them with modern upgrades to improve effectiveness."
Victor's plan moved Saddam. Iraq's economy was fragile after the Gulf War. High military spending and falling oil prices had left the country deep in debt. Buying T-72s outright wasn't feasible.
"I accept your proposal, Mr. Victor," Saddam said after careful thought. "Please secure those fire control and armor upgrades."
Victor smiled inside, pleased. Behind this ordinary arms deal, he was dragging China into Iraq's quagmire—China unaware that the true dirty business was the Soviet-Iraq chemical weapons pact.
To Beijing, this was routine trade—no betrayal, no scandal. Silent profiteering was their style.
As for the fallout when U.S. intelligence inevitably uncovered the arrangement? That was beyond Victor's control.
The two men signed the new arms deal—$30 million worth of business that breathed new life into Soviet military industry. Both sides walked away satisfied.
But Victor's Middle East mission was far from over. Next up: negotiations with Iran—the Soviet Union's frontline ally in anti-American resistance.
And all of this was part of Yanayev's larger watchdog plan.