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In the Iran-Contra Affair, United States President Ronald Reagan's administration secretly sold arms to Iran, which was engaged in a bloody war with its neighbor Iraq from 1980 to 1988, and diverted the proceeds to the Contra rebels fighting to overthrow the leftist and allegedly democratically-elected Sandinista government of Nicaragua.
Those sales thus had a dual goal: appeasing Iran, which had influence with militant groups that held several American hostages in Lebanon and supported bombings in Western European countries, and funding a guerrilla war aimed at aborting Nicaraguan independence from US hegemony.
Both transactions were contrary to acts of Congress, which prohibited the funding of the Contras and the sale of weapons to Iran. In addition, both activities violated UN sanctions.
I guess the love affair (with Iran) is officially over now.
The usa also supported Iraq before it became an 'official' enemy.
Why arm these nations if you're going to go to war with them afterwards? Arms dealers make fortunes (at the expense of taxpayers and civillian lives) from these fair weather friend foreign policies.
It sure is a good thing that the us executive has no ties to any arms dealers or one might get suspicious...
-Dino
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