Dubai Forums Dubai Discussions Dubai Politics Talk

Iran’s Tactics of Overcoming Strength with Softness & Blending Truth with Deception

(In Comparison with Tai Chi & The Art of War)

By Andy of Guangzhou

Core Logic:
Consume the real with the false, overcome strength with softness,
maneuver the enemy without being maneuvered by him.
Use low-cost decoys and deception to drain U.S.-Israeli high-value air defense systems and ammunition;
avoid their sharp edge, strike their weak points;
control the rhythm and lead the opponent.

 

I. Core Tactical System (Four Pillars)

1. Decoy Attrition Warfare:

Use “small bait” to catch “big fish”
(Tai Chi: Drawing the Force into Emptiness)

(1) Aerial Decoys: Drone Swarms + Decoy Missiles

- Shahed-136 suicide drones:
Cost: $20,000–$50,000 each. Launched in saturation attacks (thousands per day).
Lure the U.S. to fire Patriot, Standard-6, or THAAD interceptors ($3–10 million each).
Cost exchange ratio: 1:200+.
- Missile decoys:
Hypersonic missiles (e.g., Khorramshahr-4) release numerous radar/infrared decoys from their payload bay,
mimicking real warhead trajectories, overloading air defense radars and making true/false identification nearly impossible.
- Tactical loop:
Launch drones/decoy missiles first
→ U.S. air defense systems activate and fire interceptors
→ Ammunition depleted, creating a 30-minute reloading window
→ Iran launches hypersonic missiles to destroy radars and command centers.

(2) Ground Decoys: Fake Target Matrix

(Making Something Out of Nothing / Concealing the Heavens in Crossing the Sea)

- Hand-painted fake targets:
1:1 scale fighter jets and helicopters painted with acrylic,
equipped with heat-sensitive coatings to simulate infrared signals.
Cost: under $10, yet trick U.S.-Israeli cruise missiles worth $5 million.
- Inflatable / wooden mockups:
Fake missile launchers, radar stations, fighter jets with built-in heating elements,
paired with dummy fuel tanks and simulated soldiers.
Cost: tens of dollars.
Once forced Israeli forces to bomb 720 fake targets in 16 hours, wasting $1.2 billion.
- Deployment logic:
Mix real and fake targets. Use “proximity effect” to confuse reconnaissance,
making it impossible for U.S.-Israeli satellites and drones to distinguish truth from deception.

 

2. Avoid the Strong, Strike the Weak:

Target the “Eyes” and “Nerves”
(Tai Chi: Deflecting a Thousand Catties with Four Ounces)

- Strike priority:
Do not fight head-on against aircraft carriers or F-35s.
Prioritize radar stations, air defense systems, command centers, communication hubs, ammunition depots, and airfields —
blind, deafen, and paralyze the enemy’s entire system.
- Hypersonic penetration:
Khorramshahr-4 (Mach 16 in outer space, Mach 8 re-entry),
far beyond the interception limit of Patriot (Mach 4.1).
Penetrates missile defenses and strikes core targets directly.
- Anti-radiation hunting:
Use anti-radiation missiles (e.g., Faith-373) to track radar signals.
Radar activation = instant lock-on and destruction,
forcing the enemy into a paradox:
If you activate radar, you die; if you don’t, you still die.

 

3. Maneuver, Concealment & Underground Fortification:

Hide Beneath the Earth
(Tai Chi: Relax, Sink, and Store Power)

- Mobile launch vehicles:
Complete “launch – evacuate – conceal” cycle within 9 minutes,
shrinking the window for satellite/drone locking.
Hit and run, undefeatable.
- Underground fortresses:
Missile factories and ammunition depots buried over 300 meters deep in granite.
U.S. GBU-57 bunker busters can only damage the surface,
unable to destroy structural integrity.
- Decentralized command (Mosaic Defense):
31 provincial-level independent units nationwide.
Can counterattack autonomously if central command is lost.
Use underground communication, frequency-hopping shortwave, and human couriers
to evade electronic surveillance.
No single center, high resilience, unbreakable.

 

4. Cognitive & Psychological Warfare:

Control the Enemy’s Judgment
(Tai Chi: Intention Precedes Action)

- Feign weakness to lure the enemy:
Publicly declare “no first strike” to lull U.S.-Israeli vigilance,
then launch sudden counterattacks to catch them off guard.
- Information countermeasures:
Proactively expose U.S.-Israeli blunders of bombing fake targets,
seize public opinion initiative, and amplify their war cost anxiety.
- Rhythm control:
Iran dictates strike time, direction, and scale.
The U.S. and Israel can only react defensively — intercept, reload, and defend.
Maneuver the enemy without being maneuvered.

 

II. Classic Cases (Models of Truth & Deception)

Case 1: Isfahan Airport “Doodles for Missiles” (March 2026)

- Iran painted 1:1 F-14 and Mi-17 on the ground with shadows and dummy fuel tanks.
- U.S.-Israeli B-2/F-35 launched Tomahawk/SPICE bombs ($1.3–5 million each),
hitting the “jets” precisely.
- Result:
Bombs hit only paint drawings (cost: $10).
Real aircraft were already in underground bunkers.
- Tactical value:
Drain astronomical ammunition, mislead intelligence, humiliate the enemy, boost morale.

Case 2: Decoys + Hypersonic Missiles Break THAAD (2025)

- First launch large numbers of Shahed-136 to lure THAAD into firing interceptors,
depleting stockpiles and creating a gap.
- Then launch Khorramshahr-4, which releases decoys to overload radars.
- Missile penetrates at Mach 8, destroys THAAD radar and command center,
paralyzing the entire anti-missile system.

Case 3: Inflatable Models Trick Israeli Airstrikes (2025)

- Iran deploys over 2,000 inflatable missile/radar models (cost: $200 million).
- Israeli forces drop 330 munitions in 16 hours, hitting 720 fake targets ($1.2 billion wasted),
achieving zero real results.
- Effect:
Israeli satellite reconnaissance efficiency drops by 70%.
Enemy trapped in dilemma: Bombing means losing heavily; not bombing means living in fear.

 

III. Underlying Logic (Tai Chi & The Art of War)

1. Tai Chi Principles

- Drawing the force into emptiness:
Use decoys to trigger the enemy’s attack (firing interceptors).
When their strength is exhausted, strike.
- Deflecting a thousand catties with four ounces:
Use low-cost, small forces to leverage the enemy’s high-cost, massive system;
avoid strength, strike weakness.
- Relax, sink, store power:
Underground and mobile operations, conceal presence,
accumulate strength and strike later with greater speed.
- Blending truth and deception:
Alternate real and false moves, leaving the enemy disoriented and permanently passive.

2. The Art of War Quotes

- “The form of warfare is to avoid the strong and strike the weak.”
Do not fight carriers; target radars and command.
- “The expert in battle avoids the enemy’s spirit, strikes when he is tired and retreating.”
First use drones to drain morale, then strike when ammunition and troops are exhausted.
- “Maneuver the enemy; do not be maneuvered by him.”
We control the rhythm; the enemy reacts.
- “Face the enemy with regular troops, win with surprise.”
Regular force (drones) absorbs fire; surprise force (hypersonic missiles) deals the fatal blow.
- “All warfare is based on deception.”
Capable yet appear incapable; active yet appear inactive;
near yet appear far; far yet appear near.

 

IV. 16-Word Tactical Mantra

Consume the real with the false,
Overcome strength with softness,
Maneuver the enemy, not be maneuvered,
Hide beneath the earth, strike from the heavens.

 

V. Practical Value Summary

- Cost dominance:
Drain the hegemon’s astronomical resources at minimal cost,
driving them into “war economic bankruptcy.”
- System disruption:
Blind the eyes, sever the nerves, render powerful military systems useless.
- Survival resilience:
Underground + decentralized structure.
Cannot be decapitated, cannot be paralyzed.
- Psychological advantage:
Unpredictable truth and deception,
leaving the enemy in constant anxiety and afraid to act rashly.