Direct proof of use
The MiG-25 is directly documented in the 1990 Gulf War through the declassified CIA assessment of the Lieutenant Commander Michael Scott Speicher case. The assessment reviewed the loss of Speicher's U.S. Navy F/A-18 during the opening night of Operation Desert Storm and concluded that the aircraft was most likely struck by a missile fired from an Iraqi MiG-25.
That finding places the MiG-25 on the Iraqi side of the war as an interceptor involved in air combat against coalition aircraft. The same source is narrower than a full Iraqi Air Force operations history: it supports the MiG-25's use in the Speicher engagement and does not, by itself, quantify the number of MiG-25 sorties or all Iraqi Foxbat missions during the campaign.
Sources: CIA Speicher Case Assessment
Combat chronology
The relevant combat period began with Operation Desert Storm on 17 January 1991, after Iraq's August 1990 invasion and occupation of Kuwait and the subsequent Desert Shield buildup. Official campaign summaries describe the air and missile campaign as the opening combat phase of the coalition operation against Iraqi forces and targets.
On 17 January 1991, during that opening phase, Speicher's F/A-18 was lost over Iraq. The CIA assessment later attributed the loss most probably to an Iraqi MiG-25 missile engagement, making the event the central source-backed Gulf War use claim for this MiG-25 detail page.
Sources: State Department Gulf War, U.S. Army War in the Persian Gulf, CIA Speicher Case Assessment
Operational role
In this conflict record, the MiG-25's documented role is air defense and interception for Iraq. The aircraft was not a coalition strike platform, and the sourced use claim is about Iraqi interceptor employment during the Desert Storm air campaign.
The broader conflict context matters because the MiG-25 engagement occurred inside a coalition air campaign built around attacks on Iraqi command, air-defense, airfield, missile, and fielded-force targets. Within that setting, the Iraqi MiG-25 represented an Iraqi fighter-interceptor threat rather than a ground-attack or reconnaissance role documented by the sources used here.
Sources: CIA Speicher Case Assessment, U.S. Army War in the Persian Gulf
