Hostilities in Persian Gulf
If it is true, and it appears to be so, that Iran now has the U.S.-made Stinger missiles, then, in the words of Sen. Dennis DeConcini (D-Ariz.), one of our worst enemies has one of our best weapons in one of the most volatile regions of the world (Part I, Oct. 12).
How did this come about? One cannot help but wonder if someone working out of the White House might have thought this would be a “neat idea.” Maybe they thought a moderate (or “pragmatist”) in Iran would use the Stingers against the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Alternatively, Iran might have obtained the weapons from U.S.-supported insurgents in the Third World.
The point is, the United States must stop operating as a super-power arms merchant of fortune for the Third World: first, because in doing so, we export hostility and terrorism; second, because it is absolutely foolhardy to assume that these weapons will not one day be used against us.
S. MICHELE McFADDEN
Orange
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