War on Iran? US May Stop Delivery F-14 Spare Parts

Senator targets surplus sales to Iran

WASHINGTON D.C. (AP) Januari 30 – A Democratic senator wants to cut off all Pentagon sales of surplus F-14 parts, saying the military’s marketing of the spares “defies common sense” in light of their importance to Iran.

The Iranian Tomcats were virtually identical to the US Navy version, with only a few classified avionics items being omitted.

The Oregon Democrat’s legislation would ban the Defense Department from selling surplus F-14 parts and prohibit buyers who have already acquired surplus Tomcat parts from exporting them. Wyden’s bill, the Stop Arming Iran Act, is co-sponsored by the Senate’s No. 2 lawmaker, Democratic Whip Richard Durbin of Illinois.

The surplus sales are one of the first national security issues to be addressed by the new Democratic-controlled Congress.

Wyden said his bill would cut off the sale of all surplus F-14 parts. The legislation includes all parts to cut off all opportunities for Iranian “fishing expeditions,” spokeswoman Jennifer Hoelzer said, adding that GAO investigations have found valuable surplus accidentally getting included in boxes of what are supposed to be nuts-and-bolts-type hardware.

1972 Report – Sale of F-15/F-14 Aircraft

Since 1969 the Shah has focused increasingly on the issue of follow-on aircraft to replace US supplied F-4’s in his Air Force during the late 1970’s. The Shah argues that a long lead time is required in the budget and procurement cycle for such a major defense acquisition, and that third countries have been trying to interest him in a prototype aircraft, such as the French Mirage VIII, or other British/German MRCA. In addition, the Shah argues that he will need an aircraft of the F-15 caliber to counter the “almost assured” introduction into neighboring countries of the MIG-23 by the Soviet Union. We have briefed representatives of the Government of Iran on the F-14 and F-15 aircraft but have made no commitment for the sale. These aircraft are barely out of the research and development stage, and the F-15’s first flight test is not scheduled until September 1972.

The Tomcat is the fighter jet made famous in the 1986 Tom Cruise blockbuster movie, “Top Gun.” The U.S. military retired its F-14s last fall. That leaves only Iran — which bought the fighter jet in the 1970s when it was a U.S. ally — flying the planes.

U.S. law enforcement officials believe Iran can produce only about 15 percent of the parts it needs for its Tomcats, making the Pentagon’s surplus sales a valuable avenue for spares.

The Pentagon already plans to sell about 60 percent of the roughly 76,000 parts for the F-14, viewing them as general nuts-and-bolts-type aircraft hardware that can be sold safely to the public without restrictions.

Some of those spares from the newly retired fleet likely have already been sold, Jack Hooper, a Defense Logistics Agency spokesman, said Monday. The Defense Department plans to destroy about 10,000 other components it considers unique to the F-14.

The agency is reviewing 23,000 other parts it believes it can sell under existing law. But it said it will consider their potential value to Iran.

Those parts, of both military and commercial value, are of particular concern to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and the investigative arm of Congress, the Government Accountability Office. The GAO has conducted its own inquiry into surplus security and found loopholes. It wants assurances the parts won’t be sold.

Wyden said his bill would cut off the sale of all surplus F-14 parts. The legislation includes all parts to cut off all opportunities for Iranian “fishing expeditions,” spokeswoman Jennifer Hoelzer said, adding that GAO investigations have found valuable surplus accidentally getting included in boxes of what are supposed to be nuts-and-bolts-type hardware.

Irangate and the delivery of military spare parts

According to Mansur Rafizadeh, the former U.S. station chief of SAVAK, the Iranian secret police, CIA agents had persuaded Khomeini not to release the American hostages until Reagan was sworn in. In fact, they were released twenty minutes after his inaugural address.

Reagan appointed William J. Casey as director of the Central Intelligence Agency. In this position he was able to arrange the delivery of arms to Iran. These were delivered via Israel. By the end of 1982 all Reagan’s promises to Iran had been made. With the deal completed, Iran was free to resort to acts of terrorism against the United States. In 1983, Iranian-backed terrorists blew up 241 marines in the CIA Middle-East headquarters.

…
On 9th October 1986, Robert Gates and William J. Casey had lunch with Oliver North. It seems that the CIA wanted to see the paperwork for the delivery of arms to Iran. Gates told North: “If you think it’s that sensitive we can put it in the director’s personal safe. But we need our copy.” That afternoon, Casey appeared before two Congressional oversight committees, where he maintained that the CIA had nothing to do with the supplying of contras.

On 15th October, leaflets were given out in Tehran stating that high-ranking advisers to President Ronald Reagan had been visiting Iran to negotiate a deal to release hostages for arms. Two days later, Charles E. Allen provided Casey with a seven-page assessment of the “arms-hostage machinations”. Allen wrote: “The government of the United States, along with the government of Israel, acquired substantial profit from these transactions, some of which profit was redistributed to other projects of the U.S. and of Israel.”

Shell defies US pressure and signs £5bn Iranian gas deal

LONDON/THE HAGUE (Guardian Unlimited) January 29, 2007 – The Anglo-Dutch group Shell has signed an important deal to help Iran develop a major gas field, ignoring growing pressure from George Bush to isolate the country for being part of what he alleges is an “axis of evil”.