Juan Cole: That Time Ronald Reagan Opened Iran and Illegally Sold Khomeini Weapons

[eridani]

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/31327-that-time-ronald-reagan-opened-iran-and-illegally-sold-khomeini-weapons

Reagan and the people around him, possibly including George H. W. Bush, the vice president, came up with a clever but completely illegal and unconstitutional joint solution to all these problems.

Reagan offered Iraq some naval and other support in its war on Iran, and ran interference for Baghdad at the UN Security Council when there was a danger that the UNSC might condemn Iraq for using chemical weapons on Iranian troops at the front.

At the same time, to prolong the war and make sure no regional power obtained an absolute victory, Reagan shared satellite photos of Iraqi positions with Iran. On the advice of Israeli official David Kimche, he sent his national security adviser Bud McFarlane to try to establish relations with Khomenei and with then Speaker of Parliament Akbar Rafsanjani. McFarlane brought a Bible and a cake in the shape of a key to symbolize Reagan’s hope of opening Iran.

Then Reagan had his people steal hundreds of T.O.W. anti-tank missiles from the Pentagon warehouses and illegally ship them to Khomeini’s Iran, then on the US terrorist watch-list.

Let me just underline this. Reagan was prevented by law from selling US weaponry to Iran, and certainly without notifying Congress under the Arms Export Act. There was no aboveboard, legitimate way to do this. So he just had his people pilfer expensive weaponry and ship it to Iran. A notorious Israeli arms dealer was the intermediary.

Note, too, just for the annals of perfidy, that Reagan was at the same time militarily supporting Iraq, and had told Baghdad they were his allies.

Reagan, being a fiscal conservative, made Khomeini pay for the weaponry. Reagan then put that money in secret Swiss bank accounts and gradually sent it to the Nicaragua right wing death squads. That was how he got around the Boland Amendment. He didn’t use US government money for this purpose. It was Khomeini’s money.

In return for the American weapons, Iran agreed to pressure the Lebanese Shiites to let US hostages go, solving a PR problem for the US Republican Party.

See also--

Oppose the Deal With Iran? What About Iran-Contra?

http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/31319-focus-oppose-the-deal-with-iran-what-about-iran-contra

So let’s compare: Selling weapons to our number one enemy at the time (remember, Reagan was signing treaties with the Soviet Union; after all, they had a new leader who created an opening for negotiations, unlike … wait, Iran had a new leader who took office when the negotiations started) ... Compare that to easing economic sanctions in exchange for putting the skids on Iran’s nuclear program.

Let’s also remember that the funds from the arms sales to Iran were funneled into a covert program to illegally arm the Contras in Nicaragua, who were explicitly banned from receiving support by Congress. Now remember, the supreme ruler in Iran when Reagan and Bush sold weapons to Iran was the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who called the US government the Great Satan. His successor, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is more of pragmatist.

Also consider that President Hassan Rouhani, a pragmatist elected in 2013, was the opening Obama needed to start negotiations. Of course, Rouhani would not have been able to make a deal without the backing of the Ayatollah.

Senator Ted Cruz talks in his stump speeches about the hostages being released by Iran hours after Reagan was sworn in as president. What he doesn’t tell his supporters is why. He paints a picture of Reagan as a strong leader whom Iran feared. The truth is that Reagan was the leader who negotiated with terrorists to delay and finally obtain their release.

South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham said the deal equals a “death sentence for the state of Israel.” Really Lindsey? I guess you thought it was better that we sold weapons to Iran than to delay the development of a nuclear weapon there. And let’s also remember that Israel refuses to allow its nuclear weapons program to be monitored.