A revealing account of the US conflict with Iran over the Persian Gulf during the Reagan era—and the groundwork it set for today’s tensions.
In May 1987, the US frigate Stark was blown apart by an Iraqi jet fighter in the Persian Gulf, jumpstarting a major conflict with Iran that came to be known as the Tanker War. In America’s First Clash with Iran, author Lee Allen Zatarain employs Pentagon documents and firsthand interviews to reveal the full story of a conflict that may have presaged further battles to come.
At the climax of the Iran-Iraq War, Iran was losing on the battlefield. Ayatollah Khomeini decided to close the Persian Gulf against shipping from Iraq’s oil-rich backer, the emirate of Kuwait. When the United States sent a fleet to the Gulf, raising the Stars and Stripes over Kuwait’s commercial tankers, a tinderbox was set off.
The Iranians laid mines throughout the narrow passage and launched attack boats against both tankers and US warships. The US Navy fought its largest surface battle since World War II against the Ayatollah’s assault boats. As Saddam Hussein looked on, Iranian gunners fired missiles against US forces—actions which, if made known at the time, would have required the US Congress to declare war against Iran.
Lee Zatarain was born in New Orleans, and earned his BA and JD degrees from Louisiana State Univrsity. He is currently an attorney who works in the energy industry, making frequent visits to Washington DC. He resides in Spring Hill Texas with his wife and two daughters.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION
1: THE STARK DISASTER 2: TARGET: KUWAIT 3: RAISING QUESTIONS 4: OPERATION EARNEST WILL 5: AMBUSH 6: RETHINKING 7: THE INVISIBLE HAND STRIKES AGAIN 8: IN FLAGRANTE 9: FORT APACHE—THE GULF 10: “TURN AND ENGAGE” 11: “WE WILL COMMENCE FIRING” 12: “WE ARE THE BIG WINNERS IN THE GULF NOW” 13: “NO HIGHER HONOR” 14: “A ONE-DAY WAR” 15: “STOP, ABANDON SHIP, I INTEND TO SINK YOU” 16: “NONE OF THESE LADIES HAS A SCRATCH ON HER” 17: “MULTIPLE SILKWORMS INBOUND” 18: POLICEMAN OF THE GULF? 19: “UNKNOWN, ASSUMED HOSTILE” 20: “I DEEPLY REGRET THE RESULT, IF NOT THE DECISION 21: SEA OF LIES? 22: “GIVE ME THE KEY. GIVE ME THE KEY.” 23: “THEY DON’T FIGHT LIKE IRANIANS ANYMORE”
