Word: ayatullah
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...poised to take retaliatory action to defend their pride and maintain their credibility. Given the escalation mentality, a series of small confrontations could lead to more deadly military incidents. On the other hand, the fact that Iran responded to the U.S. attack by again hitting at Kuwait suggests that Ayatullah Ruhollah Khomeini is not ready to confront the U.S. military directly. Instead, Iran has chosen to sow * confusion in the ranks of U.S. policymakers by striking collateral targets like Kuwait...
...Ayatullah Ruhollah Khomeini's fanatical followers have instead chosen to use the Silkworms for assaults on vulnerable Kuwait, which has supplied billions of dollars to Iraq during the seven-year war. Dozens of ships bound to and from Kuwait have come under fire from armed Iranian speedboats that race around the gulf. Until now, however, the Iranians have taken care not to directly attack the eleven tankers -- half the Kuwaiti-owned fleet -- now under the protection of U.S. warships...
...Iran, another demonstration of U.S. determination to protect shipping in the gulf. "We have told them that if they shoot at us, we shoot back," he said. "It's perfectly consistent with the rules of engagement." But with the U.S. and Iran embraced in an increasingly deadly minuet, the Ayatullah Ruhollah Khomeini's fanatical regime seems determined to ignore American rules and warnings...
...weapons to Iran in 1985 and 1986 used a similar approach. This time the purported moderates are asking for American restraint in the gulf while they try to convince Khomeini that he should back away from a confrontation. The U.S. is not buying. "We have enough experience with the Ayatullah," says a senior Administration official. "We won't let him play off his men against ours and wiggle out of this...
...fact, the Senate resolution is unlikely to do that, since it is attached to a defense-appropriations bill President Reagan has promised to veto because it places restrictions on his Strategic Defense Initiative. The bill, nonetheless, serves as a message to Ayatullah Khomeini: the U.S. is no longer willing to conduct business as usual. Ironically, there had been few restrictions on trade with Iran since the resolution of the 1979-81 hostage crisis, largely because of the Reagan Administration's feeling that such embargoes are not effective...