Soviet Arms Sales to Iran Reported
The Soviet Union, which is Iraq’s main arms supplier in the Persian Gulf War, is also secretly selling weapons to Iran, according to a report in today’s Sunday Times.
A story by the Sunday Times’ Moscow correspondent published in early editions of today’s newspaper said the Soviets hope to improve relations with the Tehran regime to prepare for the transition in government after the eventual death of Iran’s aging leader, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
The story quoted “authoritative reports.” It did not say what kind of weapons or how many the Soviets had supplied to the Iranians.
Despite having a friendship treaty with Iraq, the Soviet Union has adopted an official position of neutrality in the Persian Gulf War. Iran’s Islamic regime is fanatically anti-communist and in 1983 executed several leading members of the Iranian communist party and expelled 18 Soviet diplomats.
The paper said Soviet weapons previously reached Iran indirectly through North Korea, Czechoslovakia, Libya and Syria.
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