User Guide

♦ Iran has occupied the Abu Musa and Tunb island groups in contravention of
international law and its treaty obligations with the United Arab Emirates;
♦ Iran is building ballistic missiles, researching chemical weapons and developing other
weapons of mass destruction, possibly with North Korea, another US bete noire.
In general terms, the USA is concerned that Iran’s current political regime is
oppressive and imperialistic. It is regarded as a danger to trade and culture in the
Middle East and beyond. Following the end of the Iran-Iraq war, Tehran
approached the Soviet Union for military assistance to re-build its shattered
defences. Initial plans called for a US $2.5 billion barter deal to include main battle
tanks, field artillery and armoured vehicles. This was later extended to include air
defence missile systems and combat aircraft.
By 1992 the arrangement had been formalised by a memorandum of understand-
ing between Moscow and Tehran. The latter provided high technology anti-ship-
ping missiles and main battle tanks, including the Sunburst missile in coastal
defence configuration and Kiev-built versions of the T-80 tank.
Tehran and Moscow still have much in common, despite the apparent agreement of
Russia not to supply nuclear technology to Iran after the Russo-American Summit.
Moscow has supported the Tehran line regarding Azeri oil drilling contracts in the
Caspian Sea, for example. On 17 May 1995 the Russian Federation announced
that it disputed the claim of Azerbaijan that it was legally entitled to award oil drilling
contracts in the Caspian Sea to Western nations, including the US $7 billion agree-
ment with British Petroleum, signed in 1994. Moscow claims that treaties signed in
1921 and 1940 with Tehran are still in force and these say that only the Soviet
Union and Iran can award oil drilling and exploration contracts.
Despite the apparent setbacks in bilateral relations which resulted from the
Clinton-Yeltsin Summit, Iran announced the same day that it would back the
Russian Federation’s claim that treaties were still valid. Iran apparently supports
the Russian contention that joint rights are enjoyed by Tehran and Moscow only.
Relations with the USA
Tehran continues to use the expression “the Great Satan” to describe the
Washington administration. There is no doubt that there is considerable mistrust on
both sides. This has not been helped by the allegations of Iranian involvement in the
bombing of the World Trade Center in New York and of Pan Am 103 over Scotland.
In late 1994 and early 1995 the Clinton administration escalated its campaign against
Iran, alleging that it had a covert nuclear weapons programme and that it was build-
ing up its forces on Abu Musa. The accusations were motivated as much by the need
to head off hard-line anti-Iranian pressure in Congress and to placate Israeli concerns
as by any perception of a real threat from Iran. Rafsanjani meanwhile attempted to
ease tensions by offering an oil production deal to a subsidiary of the US oil firm
Conoco but President Clinton forbade the deal and imposed a trade embargo on
Iran. The administration followed this up with a campaign to persuade Iran’s trading
partners to cut their ties with Iran, although this campaign has had limited success.
6: CAMPAIGNS
6.13