U.S. May Be Leaning to Compensation in Iran Disaster

White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater suggested Thursday that more serious consideration is now being given to paying compensation to the relatives of victims of the Iran Air disaster, saying that the Reagan Administration will base any decision on “the moral responsibility of America.”

Fitzwater told reporters that “one of the driving forces” in considering whether the United States should offer some form of compensation “is simply the moral responsibility of America and the fact that we’ve always been a humane nation (that) takes these kinds of problems very seriously and assumes personal responsibilities.”

“On the other hand, we have to be aware of the facts of the case--we have to be sensitive to the legal implications, as well as the political and international implications,” he told reporters.

Iran Air Flight 655, an Airbus A-300, was shot down Sunday by at least one missile from the U.S. Navy cruiser Vincennes, killing all 290 aboard.

Fitzwater, asked about public opinion polls that showed 61% of those surveyed opposed compensation, said: “We’re certainly sensitive to those polls, and we have read them. But America traditionally has been a humane and moral nation who assumes those responsibilities.”

He said that senior officials had not been given any recommendations from mid-level assistants studying the issue. “It’s moving along with a very deliberate speed,” he said, indicating for the first time that a decision might be made before the Navy investigation, expected to take two weeks, is completed.

Fitzwater said that while the Administration is reluctant to discuss specific amounts in a compensation package, its impact on the budget is “another serious consideration.”