Iran-Contra Affair

(noun)

A political scandal in the United States that occurred during the second term of the Reagan Administration, in which senior administration officials secretly facilitated the sale of weapons to Iran and used the funds to support anti-Communist armed forces in Nicaragua. 

Related Terms

Examples of Iran-Contra Affair in the following topics:

  • The Middle East

    • Reagan's involvement in the Middle East is most known for the Beirut Barracks Bombing, the 1986 bombing of Libya, and the Iran-Contra affair.
    • His first term was marked by the Beirut Barracks Bombing, while his second term is known for the 1986 bombing of Libya and the revelation of the Iran-Contra affair.
    • In 1986, a scandal shook the Reagan administration stemming from the use of proceeds from covert arms sales to Iran to fund the Contras in Nicaragua—activity which had been specifically outlawed by an act of Congress.
    • The Iran-Contra affair became the largest political scandal in the United States during the 1980s.
    • Reagan’s desire to aid the Contras even after Congress ended its support led him, surprisingly, to Iran.

  • The Iran-Contra Scandal

    • The Iran–Contra affair was a political scandal in the United States that came to light in November 1986 during the Reagan presidency.
    • Bush, who had been vice-president at the time of the affair.
    • The Iran–Contra affair was a political scandal in the United States that came to light in November 1986.
    • In violation of the Boland Amendment, senior officials of the Reagan administration continued to secretly arm and train the Contras and provide arms to Iran, an operation they called "the Enterprise. "
    • Bush, who had been vice-president at the time of the affair.

  • The Reagan Administration

    • Reagan's second term was primarily marked by foreign matters, such as the ending of the Cold War, the 1986 bombing of Libya, and the revelation of the Iran-Contra affair.

  • The Oversight Function

    • Examples are temporary select committee inquiries into: China's acquisition of U.S. nuclear weapons information, in 1999; the Iran-Contra affair, in 1987; intelligence agency abuses, in 1975-1976, and "Watergate," in 1973-1974.

  • Central America

    • The Iran–Contra affair was a political scandal in the United States that came to light in November of 1986.
    • The Iran-Contra scandal began as an operation to free seven American hostages being held by a group with Iranian ties connected to the Islamic Revolution; however, the plan deteriorated into an arms-for-hostages scheme.
    • Investigating Reagan's role in the affair, the Reagan-appointed Tower commission found no evidence of the president's involvement.
    • President Reagan address the public, accepting full responsibility for the crisis and maintaining his ignorance of the affair.
    • The Iran-Contra Affair cut Reagan's approval ratings from 67% to 46% in November 1986, "the largest single drop for any U.S. president in history," though this rating had climbed back to 64% by the end of his term, the highest rating ever recorded for a departing President.

  • NATO and the Militarization and Interventions Abroad

    • When the Iran–Iraq War broke out following the Iranian Islamic revolution of 1979, the United States initially remained neutral in the conflict.
    • After initial Iraqi military victories were reversed and an Iranian victory appeared possible in 1982, the American government initiated Operation Staunch to attempt to cut off the Iranian regime's access to weapons (notwithstanding their later shipment of weapons to Iran in the Iran-Contra Affair).

  • Oversight

    • The House Government Reform Committee and the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, which have oversight jurisdiction over virtually the entire federal government, are authorized to review and study the operation of government activities to determine their economy and efficiency and to submit recommendations based on GAO reports.
    • Examples include temporary select committee inquiries into: China's acquisition of U.S. nuclear weapons information, in 1999; the Iran-Contra affair, in 1987; intelligence agency abuses, in 1975-1976, and "Watergate," in 1973-1974.

  • Sunshine Laws

    • With encryption designed for secure messaging, PROFS notes concerning the Iran-Contra affair (arms-for-hostages) under the Reagan Administration were insulated.

  • Conclusion: Political Crises in the 70s and 80s

    • He strode a moderate, middle path in domestic affairs, attempting with little success to solve the problems of inflation and unemployment through a combination of austerity and deficit spending.
    • The Reagan administration’s secret sales of arms to Iran, known as the Iran-Contra Affair, proved disastrous, however, and resulted in indictments for administration officials.

  • Interventions in Latin America and the Middle East

    • It immediately followed the overthrow of Mossadegh in Iran (1953).
    • Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the Middle East states on the Arabian Peninsula generally remained unaffected by World War II.
    • These developments led to a growing presence of the United States in Middle East affairs.
    • The Palestinians were supported in this, to varying degrees, by the regimes in Syria, Libya, Iran and Iraq.
    • Due to many of the frantic events of the late 1970s in the Middle East it culminated in the Iran–Iraq War between neighboring Iran and Iraq.