The Iran Contra affair

THE IRAN CONTRA AFFAIR

The Iran-Contra Affair was a political scandal that happened in the USA during the second term of Reagan’s Administration, in the years 1985, 1987. This affair is however full of secrets, so it’s hard to know all the details. In the 80’s, the world was in the cold war, which began in 1947, and opposed the world’s greatest power, Soviet Union and the U.S. The U.S supported any anti-communist government to combat the growing power of the USSR. Nicaragua, which is a country involved in the Iran-Contra affair, is in the area influence of the U.S. In Nicaragua, since 1979, the sandinastas, from the FSLN, are in power, after a long civil war. The FSLN is a communist and revolutionary party, so worried, the U.S. stopped any economic help and imposed an embargo. The contras, an anti-communist group fighting the Nicaraguan government, was created. As an anti-communist group, the U.S. started supporting them, by giving them money. Indeed, Reagan wanted to overturn a communist regime, which was in the area of influence of the USA. The US wanted to eradicate communism. To support them, they needed money, that’s what brings us to Iran. Since 1979, when Iranian students invade US embassy in Tehran, and held 52 americans hostage, the relations with Iran were complicated, and in 1980, all diplomatic relations ended: Iran became a political enemy. However, during the second term of Ronald Reagan’s administration, in 1985, Reagan signed a secret finding authorizing a covert program to provide weapons to Iran, funneled initially through Israel. Iran was in the time in war against Iraq, so they needed weapons. The U.S. had hope of having the hostages held in Lebanon by Hezbollah (terrorists loyal to the Ayatollah Khomeini, Iran's leader) released, but only three of them were released and Iran help other ones after. Then, some Iranians were pushing for an alliance with the soviet Union, so Washington wanted to avoid that. But also, unbeknownst from Reagan, they used the money to provide the Contras, and despite the opposition from the United States Congress. The U.S. tried to keep it a secret, because Iran was a political enemy, and by doing this, they violated the embargo, but also because the Contras, was indeed an anti-communist organisation, but was also a terrorist organisation. (They attacked civilians and treated prisoners severely: they tortured them before killing the.) In 1985, at a White House ceremony, Reagan denied the rumors that the U.S. had exchanged arms for hostages. On November 3 1986, an Iranian journalist writing for the Lebanese magazine Ash-Shiraa reported officially that United States government were facilitating arms sales to Iran. Iran confirmed it and ten days later, Reagan went on television and denied that any such operation had occurred. He retracted the statement a week later, insisting that the sale of weapons had not been an arms-for-hostages deal. In november 1987, the Congress issued a report on the affair that stated the president's bore "ultimate responsibility." Of course this made an huge scandal, and was on the board for the two next years. Every newspaper or magazine talked about it. Investigations began. They found out about providing money to the Contras, and accusations were made. Ultimately, the sale of arms to Iran was not considered a criminal offense, plus charges were laid against five people for

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