In the six-year war between Iran and Iraq, the Soviet Union has been Iraq's chief arms supplier. Last week Soviet ships for the first time became Iranian targets. As it steamed up the Persian Gulf, the Soviet freighter Pyotr Yemtsov was seized by Iranian gunships. The vessel was searched and released after 36 hours, when its cargo proved to be construction materials for Kuwait rather than supplies for Iraq. A second Soviet ship, the Tutov, was stopped briefly in the gulf and then allowed to continue.
The seizures came as speculation grew that the regime of Ayatullah Ruhollah Khomeini was readying...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
