Word: persian
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...announcement, the White House said there would be no lowering of the U.S. military profile in the Persian Gulf. And Reagan stressed that "there's certainly going to be no compensation" for the Iranian government...
...first, the incident seemed like another deadly confrontation in the Persian Gulf between the armed forces of the U.S. and Iran. But the affair quickly developed into something far worse. On Sunday morning the Navy cruiser U.S.S. Vincennes, while battling several Iranian speedboats in the Strait of Hormuz, mistakenly shot down an Iranian commercial airliner. Iran said the Airbus A300 "exploded in the sky," killing all 298 people on board. Officers on the Vincennes had believed the aircraft was an Iranian F-14 fighter jet that was attacking the U.S. ship. The tragedy immediately invited comparison with the 1983 downing...
...Fitzwater read a statement from President Reagan, who had been awakened at Camp David at 4:52 a.m. and told of the new fighting. "I am saddened to report," said the President, "that it appears that in a proper defensive action by the U.S.S. Vincennes this morning in the Persian Gulf, an Iranian airliner was shot down over the Strait of Hormuz. This is a terrible human tragedy. Our sympathy and condolences go out to the passengers, crew and their families." At 1:30 p.m. a tense and obviously tired Admiral William Crowe, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs...
...commanders in the area determined not to be caught with their guard down. Said Crowe: "A decision was made early in the commitment to give our commanders sufficient latitude to protect their people . . . They do not have to be shot at before responding. Throughout our involvement in the Persian Gulf, the Iranian government has repeatedly threatened and fired upon U.S. forces...
...facts of the tragedy may not emerge for weeks or months. But one thing seemed certain: the conflict in the Persian Gulf had once again claimed hundreds of innocent lives...