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Source: http://www.doksinet Issue Date: August 03, 1984 Iran-Iraq War: Lull in Shipping War Reported • • • Kuwait Buys Soviet Missiles Saudis Widen Air Defense Limits U.S Seeks No Victor in Gulf The war on commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf subsided for more than three weeks in late July and early August. After a flare-up in June, there had been no confirmed serious incidents after July 10. [See 1984 Iran-Iraq War: Iraqi Ship Attacks Resume after Lull] The lull was reflected in shipping insurance rates, as Lloyds of London, the international insurance brokers, July 25 and Aug. 1 announced reductions in war-risk insurance for oil cargoes loaded at Irans Kharg Island oil terminal. (As recently as June 11, it had been reported that Lloyds was considering terminating war-risk coverage for Kharg Island shipping because of the increasing pace of the attacks. In a related move, the six members of the Saudi Arabian-led Gulf Cooperation Council announced June 11 that they had
agreed to compensate buyers of their oil for any losses due to Iranian reprisals against shipping.) Iranian oil exports rebounded to an estimated 1.9 million barrels a day in July from around 900,000 barrels a day the month before, according to oil industry sources cited in a July 26 Reuters dispatch. Shipping traffic in the gulf was described as virtually normal [See 1984 US Sells Stinger Antiaircraft Missiles to Saudi Arabia, Citing Grave Concern Over Persian Gulf Escalation; President Invokes Emergency Powers] Iran June 29 was reported to have adopted a novel tactic to counter Iraqs use of radar-guided Exocet missiles in the shipping war. According to a Washington Post story citing US intelligence officials, the Iranians had built and launched a number of small barges equipped with reflecting surfaces designed to present a brighter radar image than that of an oil tanker. The officials speculated that the use of such radar decoys might help explain why Iraq repeatedly claimed more
"hits" than Western shipping officials could account for. In recent developments: • Iraq July 1 announced that its warplanes had destroyed "five naval targets" in the Khor Musa channel at the extreme northern end of the Persian Gulf. Iraq said its jets had also shot down an Iranian F-14 that was defending the convoy, and that two other ships had been hit by mines. Shipping sources identified two of the ships as a South Korean cargo vessel and a small Greek bulk container. The Korean vessel was said to have been Source: http://www.doksinet • • destroyed, and the Greek ship damaged "with loss of life." The other Iraqi claims were not confirmed. An Iranian jet firing missiles July 5 attacked and damaged a Japanese-chartered supertanker carrying Saudi Arabian oil in the Persian Gulf. The attack was believed to be in reprisal for a June 24 Iraqi raid against Irans Kharg Island oil terminal. Iran July 5 confirmed that the Kharg facilities had been
damaged in the raid. [See 1984 Iran-Iraq War: Iraqi Ship Attacks Resume after Lull] A warplane, believed to be Iranian, July 10 attacked a British oil tanker on a salvage mission in international waters in the Persian Gulf. The ship, the British Renown, was only slightly damaged. The incident occurred northeast of Bahrain Subsequent Iraqi claims of successful ship attacks July 13 and 19 were not confirmed. Kuwait Buys Soviet Missiles After a rebuff by the U.S, Kuwait July 11 announced that it had reached agreement on a $327 million arms deal with the Soviet Union. The announcement was made in Moscow by the Kuwaiti defense minister, Sheik Salim Al-Sabah. Officials in Kuwait said the deal included surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, tanks and other military hardware. The Kuwaitis added, however, that the purchase did not include the shoulder-fired SAM-7 antiaircraft missile, the Soviet equivalent of the U.S Stinger missile Although the US had announced a controversial sale
of 400 Stingers to Saudi Arabia, it had refused repeated Kuwaiti requests for a similar deal. [See 1984 US Sells Stinger Antiaircraft Missiles to Saudi Arabia, Citing Grave Concern Over Persian Gulf Escalation; President Invokes Emergency Powers] Kuwait in May had abandoned its long-held opposition to greater superpower influence in the Persian Gulf region and had quietly asked the U.S for permission to buy the missiles for defense of its oil shipping. Although the Kuwaiti defense minister June 1 announced that the US had given "initial approval" to such a deal, the U.S Defense Department insisted that the proposal was still under review. Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sabah Al-Sabah June 18 made an unusual public appeal to the U.S Congress to approve the sale. But US State Department officials June 19 said the US had informed Kuwait that the U.S could not offer the Stingers "at this time" Administration officials cited political opposition from Congress over fears that
the missiles could fall into the hands of anti-Israeli guerrillas. Pentagon officials June 19 said the U.S was prepared to take other "immediate" steps to improve Kuwaiti air defenses. They also confirmed that Kuwait had begun receiving information gathered by U.S electronic surveillance planes in the Persian Gulf The administration June 27 notified Congress that it intended to sell Kuwait $82 million worth of military equipment, centered on improvements to Kuwaits U.S-made Hawk antiaircraft missile Source: http://www.doksinet system. The deal did not include Stingers By the time Congress was notified, the Kuwaiti defense minister had already announced his plans to go to Moscow. Kuwaiti Defense Minister Al-Sabah July 13 said the Soviet deal was a "straight commercial deal," not a reprisal against the U.S A U.S State Department spokesman the same day noted that Kuwait in the past had bought arms from a number of countries, including both the U.S and the Soviet
Union "We would be concerned," he said, "were Kuwaits purchase of Soviet arms and equipment to be on such a scale as to upset. the existing balance" among Kuwaits "sources of military supply" Saudis Widen Air Defense Limits Saudi Arabia had widened its air defense perimeter and had resolved to intercept threatening aircraft beyond its territorial waters, U.S Defense Secretary Caspar W Weinberger said June 21 U.S officials said the Saudis had announced the new policy to the US and to their Persian Gulf allies about two weeks earlier, after Saudi jets June 5 had downed an Iranian fighter-bomber over the gulf. (The US Defense Department June 12 said that it now believed the Saudis had downed only one Iranian plane, not the two originally claimed.) [See 1984 2 Iranian Jets Downed by Saudis Over Persian Gulf; U.S Planes Assisted Action] Weinberger said the June 5 incident had occurred within the Saudis so-called "air defense interception zone"
after Iranian planes had made three attacks on Saudi shipping. Saudi Arabia May 22 had announced a $3.9 billion air defense buildup involving ground-to-air missiles, radar installations and improved command communications. U.S Seeks No Victor in Gulf Richard W. Murphy, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern and South Asian affairs, told Congress June 11 that the Reagan administration believed "a victory by either side" in the IranIraq war was "neither militarily achievable nor strategically desirable." A victory by either Iran or Iraq would have a "destabilizing effect" on the entire Persian Gulf region, Murphy said. Murphy made his remarks in an appearance before the House Foreign Affairs Committees subcommittee on Europe and the Middle East
agreed to compensate buyers of their oil for any losses due to Iranian reprisals against shipping.) Iranian oil exports rebounded to an estimated 1.9 million barrels a day in July from around 900,000 barrels a day the month before, according to oil industry sources cited in a July 26 Reuters dispatch. Shipping traffic in the gulf was described as virtually normal [See 1984 US Sells Stinger Antiaircraft Missiles to Saudi Arabia, Citing Grave Concern Over Persian Gulf Escalation; President Invokes Emergency Powers] Iran June 29 was reported to have adopted a novel tactic to counter Iraqs use of radar-guided Exocet missiles in the shipping war. According to a Washington Post story citing US intelligence officials, the Iranians had built and launched a number of small barges equipped with reflecting surfaces designed to present a brighter radar image than that of an oil tanker. The officials speculated that the use of such radar decoys might help explain why Iraq repeatedly claimed more
"hits" than Western shipping officials could account for. In recent developments: • Iraq July 1 announced that its warplanes had destroyed "five naval targets" in the Khor Musa channel at the extreme northern end of the Persian Gulf. Iraq said its jets had also shot down an Iranian F-14 that was defending the convoy, and that two other ships had been hit by mines. Shipping sources identified two of the ships as a South Korean cargo vessel and a small Greek bulk container. The Korean vessel was said to have been Source: http://www.doksinet • • destroyed, and the Greek ship damaged "with loss of life." The other Iraqi claims were not confirmed. An Iranian jet firing missiles July 5 attacked and damaged a Japanese-chartered supertanker carrying Saudi Arabian oil in the Persian Gulf. The attack was believed to be in reprisal for a June 24 Iraqi raid against Irans Kharg Island oil terminal. Iran July 5 confirmed that the Kharg facilities had been
damaged in the raid. [See 1984 Iran-Iraq War: Iraqi Ship Attacks Resume after Lull] A warplane, believed to be Iranian, July 10 attacked a British oil tanker on a salvage mission in international waters in the Persian Gulf. The ship, the British Renown, was only slightly damaged. The incident occurred northeast of Bahrain Subsequent Iraqi claims of successful ship attacks July 13 and 19 were not confirmed. Kuwait Buys Soviet Missiles After a rebuff by the U.S, Kuwait July 11 announced that it had reached agreement on a $327 million arms deal with the Soviet Union. The announcement was made in Moscow by the Kuwaiti defense minister, Sheik Salim Al-Sabah. Officials in Kuwait said the deal included surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, tanks and other military hardware. The Kuwaitis added, however, that the purchase did not include the shoulder-fired SAM-7 antiaircraft missile, the Soviet equivalent of the U.S Stinger missile Although the US had announced a controversial sale
of 400 Stingers to Saudi Arabia, it had refused repeated Kuwaiti requests for a similar deal. [See 1984 US Sells Stinger Antiaircraft Missiles to Saudi Arabia, Citing Grave Concern Over Persian Gulf Escalation; President Invokes Emergency Powers] Kuwait in May had abandoned its long-held opposition to greater superpower influence in the Persian Gulf region and had quietly asked the U.S for permission to buy the missiles for defense of its oil shipping. Although the Kuwaiti defense minister June 1 announced that the US had given "initial approval" to such a deal, the U.S Defense Department insisted that the proposal was still under review. Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sabah Al-Sabah June 18 made an unusual public appeal to the U.S Congress to approve the sale. But US State Department officials June 19 said the US had informed Kuwait that the U.S could not offer the Stingers "at this time" Administration officials cited political opposition from Congress over fears that
the missiles could fall into the hands of anti-Israeli guerrillas. Pentagon officials June 19 said the U.S was prepared to take other "immediate" steps to improve Kuwaiti air defenses. They also confirmed that Kuwait had begun receiving information gathered by U.S electronic surveillance planes in the Persian Gulf The administration June 27 notified Congress that it intended to sell Kuwait $82 million worth of military equipment, centered on improvements to Kuwaits U.S-made Hawk antiaircraft missile Source: http://www.doksinet system. The deal did not include Stingers By the time Congress was notified, the Kuwaiti defense minister had already announced his plans to go to Moscow. Kuwaiti Defense Minister Al-Sabah July 13 said the Soviet deal was a "straight commercial deal," not a reprisal against the U.S A U.S State Department spokesman the same day noted that Kuwait in the past had bought arms from a number of countries, including both the U.S and the Soviet
Union "We would be concerned," he said, "were Kuwaits purchase of Soviet arms and equipment to be on such a scale as to upset. the existing balance" among Kuwaits "sources of military supply" Saudis Widen Air Defense Limits Saudi Arabia had widened its air defense perimeter and had resolved to intercept threatening aircraft beyond its territorial waters, U.S Defense Secretary Caspar W Weinberger said June 21 U.S officials said the Saudis had announced the new policy to the US and to their Persian Gulf allies about two weeks earlier, after Saudi jets June 5 had downed an Iranian fighter-bomber over the gulf. (The US Defense Department June 12 said that it now believed the Saudis had downed only one Iranian plane, not the two originally claimed.) [See 1984 2 Iranian Jets Downed by Saudis Over Persian Gulf; U.S Planes Assisted Action] Weinberger said the June 5 incident had occurred within the Saudis so-called "air defense interception zone"
after Iranian planes had made three attacks on Saudi shipping. Saudi Arabia May 22 had announced a $3.9 billion air defense buildup involving ground-to-air missiles, radar installations and improved command communications. U.S Seeks No Victor in Gulf Richard W. Murphy, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern and South Asian affairs, told Congress June 11 that the Reagan administration believed "a victory by either side" in the IranIraq war was "neither militarily achievable nor strategically desirable." A victory by either Iran or Iraq would have a "destabilizing effect" on the entire Persian Gulf region, Murphy said. Murphy made his remarks in an appearance before the House Foreign Affairs Committees subcommittee on Europe and the Middle East
When reading, most of us just let a story wash over us, getting lost in the world of the book rather than paying attention to the individual elements of the plot or writing. However, in English class, our teachers ask us to look at the mechanics of the writing.
