Chapter 502 Depression

On the other side of the ocean, the United States, the White House.

The naval fleet went to confront the Soviet aircraft carrier fleet, but was fooled by the Soviet Navy again and again. Especially the final battle for the port of Abbas was a blatant mockery!

It is now August 1980, and the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games has been completed in Moscow. In this Olympic Games, Soviet athletes won 80 gold medals, 69 silver medals, and 46 bronze medals, ranking first among all teams. This is the most gold medals the Soviet Union has won in the Olympics since 1952, 50 more medals than the second-placed American team! Of course, this was due to the referee's leniency, but it also showed that the Soviet Union had indeed reached the world's number one position in sports.

The sports field was a war without the smoke of gunpowder, and the United States lost miserably on the battlefield with the smoke of gunpowder.

"Now, the HMN government is still holding on in Tehran, but with the attack of the Iranian People's Liberation Army supported by the Soviet Union, it is conceivable that it will not be long before the current Iranian regime will change. Under the attack from both the east and the west, the defeat of the HMN government is almost inevitable." CIA Director Admiral Stein said: "We have contacted HMN, but HMN does not trust us."

Carter sat there, saying nothing.

For Carter, he was already on his last shift. Although the official US election had not yet begun, opinion polls had already begun. As expected, Carter was the candidate with the lowest support rate in US opinion polls since the end of World War II! The deteriorating domestic economy, the comprehensive compromises on the external front, the mistakes in the Far East war, and the current corruption in the Middle East had completely made Americans lose confidence in Carter.

During his election speeches, Carter was greeted with shoes and rotten eggs almost every day. He was a terrible failure as president.

So, Carter's mental state was not good and he was in frustration.

"Mr. President?" Carter woke up from his chaotic thoughts and saw that everyone was looking at him. He had to admit that he was lost in thought again.

"The problems we are facing now are very serious, especially the fact that we have lost two nuclear submarines, one in Chabahar Port and the other in Abbas Port. These two submarines are of great importance to our navy and we must get them back from the Soviets," said Defense Secretary Harold.

Needless to say, the Navy was embarrassed. Three aircraft carriers were dispatched, and this was the result! The first submarine was forced out of the water by the Soviets, almost as a prisoner, and tied to the port of Chabahar. The second submarine was hit by the Soviet submarine while searching for it with the cooperation of surface ships! This bizarre accident made Western Europe laugh!

"What do the Soviets have to say?" Carter asked.

"The Soviet Union asked us to compensate for the damage caused by the collision." Harold said, "The Soviets are simply taking advantage of the situation! They asked for $100 million in compensation! This is simply asking for too much! Although the two submarines will not be disassembled by the Soviets, there is no doubt that the Soviets are taking advantage of this time to carefully study our submarines."

Now the two sides have not gotten out of control, and they are still restrained. If they can win, they will fight, and if they can't win, they will talk about reason. Now is the time to talk about reason. Unfortunately, the Soviets have been playing rogue. They asked for a high price, which made the United States disagree and argue with each other. During this time, they can find out the secrets of their Los Angeles-class submarines. This is because there are no large equipment in these two ports, otherwise, the Soviets would dare to dismantle their submarines!

"What about our personnel?" Carter asked, "Even if the Soviets don't hand over our submarines first, they will have to repatriate the personnel to us, right?"

Carter had already given up. The submarine issue could be left for later. If it didn't work, the next person in charge would solve it. As long as the soldiers were brought back first, it would be fine! Otherwise, the families of the soldiers would come out and cause trouble every day, just like during the Vietnam War.

"We haven't separated yet." Harold said. In his eyes, of course both the people and the equipment must be returned together.

"We should negotiate with the Soviets first and get our personnel back." Carter said, "If our personnel stay there, they will waste the Soviets' food, right? We can slowly negotiate the issue of submarines."

First, we need people! Hearing Carter's words, Harold nodded: "Yes." Since the president authorized this, he would just go and negotiate in this way.

"The problem we have to deal with is not just our two submarines. The Soviet Union's intention is now very clear, which is to completely control Iran. In the past, we only thought that the Soviets wanted to gain a passage to the south of the Indian Ocean, but now it seems that controlling Iran is more attractive than gaining a passage to the south." Stan continued: "And the Soviet Union's tentacles have extended to the Middle East. For us, this is another major strategic mistake."

The Soviet Union finally reached the Middle East! This is an important oil producing area in the world, and it is also a force that the Americans have been working hard to build! Unfortunately, the fall of the Pahlavi regime turned Iran, an ally of the United States, into an enemy, and now Iran is about to become the sphere of influence of the Soviet Union! This is the most important issue that the United States must face!

Now, this problem is almost unsolvable! Especially for the Carter administration, which has lost all its prestige, it is even more of a problem!

"Warren, do you have any countermeasures?" Carter asked the Secretary of State. Diplomatic issues are the area under Warren's charge.

"If we really want to clean up this mess in Iran, there is only one way," Warren said: "Mobilize the European and domestic troops, pass through Pakistan, land in Iran, and completely drive out the Soviets!"

In the past, Warren was the most anti-war person. Warren always hoped to solve the problem through politics instead of using military force. But now, the situation has reversed. Brzezinski and Harold, who have been clamoring for the use of force, did not speak. On the contrary, Warren, who has always advocated a diplomatic solution, proposed a solution by force!

"Warren, are you crazy? Now eastern Iran is the Soviet Union's sphere of influence. If we directly confront the Soviet Union, the Third World War will break out!" Brzezinski said.

"This is our only chance." Warren said, "If we still can't muster up the courage now, we will lose the entire Middle East!"

The person with the most strategic vision in this Carter administration was Secretary of State Warren. He was the only one who deeply understood the current crisis. However, his words did not impress the depressed Carter.