“Sir, our engineers are working to increase the Nile River Delta area and increase the distribution of water to more lands, but it is a slow process. We have started construction of hundreds of bio-domes using the latest in genetically modified seeds to increase production. These solutions will work in the long-run, but they are not going to provide us the relief we need now,” said Muhammad.
“Then some people will starve while others will not. Until the situation changes there is not much we can do but pray to Allah for his blessings,” Caliph Mohammed said with a bit of heat in his tone.
Nayef saw that the Caliph needed to hear some good news. He hit a few keys on his tablet and activated the holographic display at the center of the table. Up popped the latest economic and military reports. If it was one thing the Caliph liked to discuss, it was industry and the modernization of the IR. “Caliph, the food situation is dire and as everyone has said we have solutions in development, but they will take time before they come to fruition. However, I would like to direct your attention towards the progress we have made with regards to the modernization of the military and the Republic.”
“Thank you, Nayef. This is an area of great importance to the Republic. We need to build up our own military industrial complexes and secure new sources for weapons and parts. If we can do this and solve our food problem, then the Republic will truly be self-sufficient,” Caliph Mohammed said with some return to enthusiasm in his voice.
Nayef continued, “We have been making headway with the Chinese. They are not happy about this new cartel the Americans have formed, but they are in desperate need for food, so they are going along with it for the time being. They have agreed to sell us additional weapons and spare parts if we cut them a deal on oil. I told them we will sell them all the oil they need for 30 % less than market value, as long as they continue to provide us with weapons and, more importantly, 3D printing technology.”
“The Russians have agreed to sell us their entire line of Armata armored vehicles. We are purchasing 3,000 T14C main battle tanks and 28,000 armored personnel carriers among other assorted vehicles. They also agreed to allow us to manufacture them under license; we are setting up plants in Riyadh, Baghdad, Cairo and other industrial hubs.” Smiling, Nayef nodded towards Muhammad bin Aziz, the IR Minister of Industry, to continue the brief.
“The Russians have agreed to sell us 3,000 MiG 32s, and will also let us manufacture a large percentage of them under license; this will greatly bolster our aerospace industry. They have agreed to sell us their newest air-to-air fighter drones as well. These are much cheaper and easier to produce. We have agreed to purchase 4,000 immediately, so our pilots can begin to train with them. And once the factories are operational, we will start producing 1,000 new drones a year,” Muhammad said excitedly. “Muhammad, I didn’t know you were such a shrewd negotiator. This is an excellent deal. I am very pleased that you were able to secure the manufacturing licenses; it will not only provide highly skilled labor jobs, it will help advance our ability to design and build armored vehicles and combat aircraft…. How about food? Are they able to assist us in that area?”
Muhammad relaxed a little as he said, “The Russians can assist us with minimal food this year; they are in the process of converting large portions of their newly conquered territory into farmland. We will make it through this year’s food shortages, but it will be rough.”
“How is the training of the army?”
“It is going well. We have instructed the Asian region to build up their regional force to 450,000 troops. The North African region is working to build their forces to 600,000 troops and the central region to 5,500,000 troops; most of the recruits are coming from the provinces of Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. It will take time for this force to become proficient. The Russians and Chinese have both agreed to send us 50,000 military trainers each for the next five years to integrate our forces into the same military doctrine as theirs,” said Muhammad.
“Excellent. How has the integration of Iran been going?”
“Rough in some areas and good in others. The military has been a big help in securing the country and ensuring it stays protected. It’s some of their former leaders that are causing trouble…not all of them are happy with the assimilation. The drafting of a few million military aged males will certainly help with integrating them into the Republic. If it were not for the military coup, this whole incorporation of Iran would have been a disaster.”
“It would have been war. Who would have thought $5 billion NAD could have bought an entire country?” asked the Caliph with a snicker.
Before the meeting ended, the Caliph wanted to make sure everyone continued to stay focused on the end goal. “Everyone needs to remember that despite our final integration of Iran into the fold, our ultimate enemy is America and Israel. You need to remember that no matter what your thoughts are on the Americans, they are fierce and ruthless in combat. Their individual military training is the best in the world — that is why they are such tenacious fighters. We need to train our soldiers to that same standard so they will not run during a battle but will charge right into it like the Americans. We can beat them, but we need our soldiers to be better trained.”
General Rafik Hamza, the Overall Islamic Republic Military Commander, chimed in. “We recently had several thousand Muslim Americans immigrate to the Republic who had previously served in the American military. We are leveraging their skills and experience, along with our Russian advisors, to help modernize our basic training. The former Quds Force has also been instrumental. Surprisingly, there are some American companies that are also helping us in this area for a price. They are expensive but they are very good.”
“This further reinforces my previous statements that the West only cares about money. They will do anything for money, even train their future enemy.”
“Have we moved Allah’s Swords to Tanzania yet?”
“Yes, they have been smuggled out of Iran and are now sitting in a shielded warehouse in the Tanzania Coffee House Company. They make regular freighter shipments to America, so when we are ready to move the devices, they should make it through the port security intermixed with the regular cargo shipment. They have a very dense lead shield, so they will not show up on any detention sensors or satellites. I have agents who will load them onto the freighters when you give the order,” said General Rafi, IR Special Operations Commander.
“If we could work out a more coordinated first strike with the Russians and Chinese, the Americans would never know what hit them until it was too late,” said Muhammad.
“In time, we need to create as much instability inside America and Mexico as possible. The Russians have designs for Europe; we need to convince them that with America out of the picture they can do whatever they want with Europe. The same argument can be made with the Chinese, but they are going to need to know that we can play our own part,” Talal said.
“What are the Americans trying to do with this deal? Starve us to death?” asked Zhang Jinping, the Premier of the People’s Republic of China.
“Premier, the American President is working to reduce their debt, a debt which we hold the majority share of. Our country is becoming flush with cash and they are starting to buy more of our products again. All of this is good news,” said the Premier’s Senior Advisor Jing Xi.
The Premier was clearly angered that the Americans had negotiated China out of $10 trillion dollars with the remonetizing of their debt. The US had also imposed severe tariffs on Chinese products coming into America, despite the free trade agreements previous administrations had signed. Now the US had co-opted other countries to join their Grain Consortium, further squeezing China. Though outwardly trying to remain calm, the Premier could not hide his ire; the veins on the side of his neck were bulging and pulsating with each breath. The middle of his brow furrowed involuntarily. No amount of “good news” was going to erase the perceived wrongs of the West.