Word: tehran
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1980-1989
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...gulf war. Baghdad has been shipping weapons to the Christians mainly to gall Syria. Long rivals for hegemony in the region, the two Arab giants seem to be fighting a proxy war on Lebanese soil. The struggle for control of Lebanon is further confused by the power contest in Tehran and the fate of the 15 foreign hostages...
...possibility of warmer relations in exchange for help in freeing the U.S. hostages. While Bush did not disavow the Reagan-era prohibition against direct bargaining with terrorists, he shifted ground enough to make some kind of negotiation possible. His private communiques, sent via the Swiss embassy in Tehran and other intermediaries, elicited encouraging replies from Rafsanjani...
Administration officials hope to convince Iran that hostage taking has few benefits and obstructs the potentially lucrative flow of trade and commerce. This includes Iranian assets, estimated by Tehran at $11 billion, that have been frozen since the U.S. embassy in Iran was overrun in 1979. Restoring the flow might give Iran incentive to press for the release of the captives and a halt to terrorism...
...have to participate, however indirectly, in any deal. Even friendly relations between Bush and Rafsanjani are no guarantee of the captives' return. While Iran exerts influence over Hizballah, which it has been bankrolling since 1982 at an estimated $60 million a year, no one knows precisely how much control Tehran has over the disposition of the hostages. At least seven factions, each with its own agenda, have claimed responsibility for one or more kidnapings since the wave of terrorism began seven years ago. In the end, the particular interests of these small and shadowy groups that operate under the loose...
...headed off another terrible execution and heard some encouraging words from Iran's new leaders. Yet after a decade of outrage and frustration, the President and the American public may be willing to settle for such small steps while they strain to see, through the latest signals from Tehran, at least a glimmer of hope...