World IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Loopholes Let Iran, Syria Buy U.S. Gear

The U.S. government has approved the sale of more than $300 million in high-technology items to Iran and Syria in recent years, even though it says those countries support terrorism, documents indicate. The Commerce Department used loopholes in federal regulations to legally approve the exports, some of which had potential military use, documents obtained by the Associated Press show. From late 1987 through September, 1990, U.S. companies got government permission to ship computers, aircraft parts, navigational, radar and communications equipment to Iran and Syria.