Operation Morvarid

In late November, the Iranians decided to respond to the Iraqi destruction of the Abadan Refinery by neutralizing the Kohr al-Amaya and Mina al-Bakr offshore oil terminals. As a result of these attacks, it was planned that Iraq's navy would be drawn into the open sea where Iran's air force and navy would destroy it. ==Battle==

On 27 November 1980, after Iranian technicians prepared as many aircraft and helicopters as possible, Iranian F-4 Phantoms and F-5 Tiger IIs attacked Iraqi airfields around Basra. Soon four more Iranian F-4s arrived from Shiraz Air Base, bombed the port of Al Faw, and, together with F-5s, destroyed the surrounding Iraqi SAM sites. One Iranian F-4 was downed while another was hit and damaged by an Iraqi SA-7 surface-to-air missile but managed to return to base. At this time, the Iranian F-14 Tomcat formations joined the battle and, together with several F-4s, covered the withdrawal of Task Force 421 and bombed the Iraqi oil rigs. Next, they attacked the Mina al Bakr terminal. An Iraqi Su-22 attacked Paykan, which managed to shoot it down with its 76-mm gun turret. The Iraqis scrambled four MiG-23 Floggers to defend the terminal. Shortly after, an Iranian F-14 downed one of the MiGs, forcing the other three to flee. ==Aftermath==

The destruction of Iraqi SAM sites and radar and monitoring equipment made it possible for the IRIAF to attack via southern Iraq again. The Iranian missile boat Joshan which took part in this operation was later sunk during Operation Praying Mantis by U.S. Navy warships. ==See also==