Originally posted by Harry
"While maintaining official neutrality in the Iran-Iraq War, the Soviet Union had provided extensive military assistance to Iraq, and at the same time, continued its efforts to gain leverage on Iran. In early 1987, Moscow delivered a squadron of twenty-four MiG-29 Fulcrums to Baghdad. Considered the most advanced fighter in the Soviet arsenal, the MiG-29 previously had been provided only to Syria and India. The decision to export the MiG-29 to Iraq, also assured Iraq a more advantageous payment schedule than any offered by the West and it reflected Soviet support for one of its traditional allies in the Middle East. In May 1987 the Soviets provided Iraq with better financial terms in a successful effort to prevent Iraq from buying sixty French Mirage 2000 fighters for an estimated US$3 billion. Caught in a financial crisis, Baghdad welcomed the low-interest loans Moscow extended for this equipment. "
The USSR was a major arms supplier to Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war. Though you were hardly alone in that respect.
Well, looked into Belonogov's book on a Gulf crisis, looks like you really caught me. He says USSR didn't sell weapons to aggressors, but, after Iraq started to loose the war - it was OK to sell weapons again... My mistake
BTW, $50M for a Mirage - is it true? IIRC in early-90s export MiG-29s were sold for $25M.
