Word: gulf
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...Stark and other members of the Navy's Middle East patrol were showing the flag in the Persian Gulf. The Administration believed neither of the warring nations would dare attack a vessel traveling in the shadow of a U.S. warship for fear of American retaliation. Says a State Department official of the display of American military might in the gulf: "It's what gives our policy teeth." Following America's lead, Soviet naval boats also began patrolling the gulf...
What bothered many Congressmen was that the Administration seemed to be using the military to make a symbolic diplomatic statement. Deploying sailors as peace enforcers in the gulf revived memories of the ill-conceived deployment of Marines in Beirut, which left 241 servicemen dead after a surprise truck bombing. Although it has never fought a declared war, the Reagan Administration has witnessed the loss of at least 331 servicemen since it took office...
There was concern expressed in Congress and elsewhere that U.S. allies were not doing enough to protect their interests in the Persian Gulf. The critics noted that while 25% of Western Europe's oil and 60% of Japan's comes from the gulf region, only 7% of America's does. "The U.S. is not alone interested in the area," declared Florida Democrat Charles Bennett. "The U.S. alone should not bear the burden of its security." The Administration argued that regardless of the depth of our allies' commitment in the gulf, it was still in America's best interest to ensure...
After the attack, the Administration seemed as eager to blame Iran as it was to forgive Iraq. Reagan called Iran the "villain in the piece." While the Iranians were not directly involved in the incident, they have upped the stakes in the gulf war in recent months by installing Chinese-made Silkworm missiles near the Strait of Hormuz. Last week the Iranian government gloated over the Stark catastrophe. "The great Satan is trapped," exulted Iranian Prime Minister Mir Hussein Mousavi. "The Persian Gulf is not a safe place for the superpowers, and it is not in their interest to enter...
Indeed, the Persian Gulf has proved to be nearly as hostile an environment for the Soviets as it is for the U.S. About 36 hours before the assault on the Stark, a Soviet tanker, accompanied by a U.S.S.R. navy frigate, struck a mine some 35 miles from the Kuwaiti coast. There were no casualties, but the tanker was effectively crippled. On May 6, an Iranian gunboat opened fire on a 6,459- ton Soviet freighter; it marked the first time that Iran had struck a vessel traveling under the flag of a superpower. The Iranian government reportedly assured the Soviets...