In 1988, a US Navy warship shot down an Iranian commercial aircraft, killing all 290 civilians on board. New declassified files show how Margaret Thatcher’s government offered immediate support to the US and aided in the cover-up, John McAvoy reports.
The attack took place during the Iran–Iraq War, which began with Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Iran in 1980. US Government The US supported Saddam and sent warships to the Persian Gulf to support the Iraqi war effort.
One such warship was the USS Vincennes, which fired two missiles at Iran Air Flight 655 during a routine visit to Dubai on July 3, 1988.
Washington claimed that the US Navy had acted in self-defense, but this was not true. As claimed by the Pentagon, the aircraft did not operate “outside the designated commercial air route,” nor was it “landing” at “high speed” toward Vincennes.
Thus the United States shot down a civilian aircraft and tried to cover it up at random. About 66 of the 290 civilians killed were children.
‘No more government’
UK Foreign Secretary on 2 March 2000, Robin Cook, met with american general Colin PowellWho served as National Security Advisor to US President Ronald Reagan from 1987 to 1989.
Powell According to the newly released files, he “spoke out frankly” throughout the discussion, prompting Cook to request that the “trust of the American general … be vigorously protected”.
Notably, Powell recalled that when the US shot down Flight 655, Thatcher’s private secretary for foreign affairs, Charles Powell, “immediately called Downing Street to ask what the Americans wanted to say to the British government.”
Thus the British government offered immediate support to the US, despite killing hundreds of civilians, most of whom were Iranian citizens. To this, Powell remarked that “the United States cannot rely on any other government for such behavior.”
Powell He would later become President George W. Bush’s Secretary of State, a position he deceived during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
staunch defender
In the weeks following the attack, Thatcher emerged as a staunch supporter of Reagan. “You can’t put the armed forces at bay to protect the shipment from attack” [iraní] Without giving them the right to defend themselves,” he declared.
In private correspondence with Reagan, Thatcher also speculated on the positive effects of the attack, writing that: “The accident has at least helped convince Iranian leaders of the urgent need to end the Gulf conflict.”
As journalist Solomon Hughes wrote in The Morning Star, the British Foreign Office also developed “a line to follow” that was in line with Thatcher’s public support for America.
For example, the Foreign Office emphasized that “the USS Vincennes issued a warning to an approaching unidentified aircraft, but received no response,” and emphasized that the United States would be “an Iranian attack”. was answering.
The Foreign Office knew it was aloof in its support of America. An internal memorandum written in July 1988 stated that “the UK only contains a reference to the right. [de los EE. UU.] For self-defense, which drew criticism from Iran and other countries. ,
Eight years later, in 1996, the US government paid Iran $131.8 million in compensation for the attack, and President Bill Clinton expressed “deep regret” at what had happened.
However, the US government never formally apologized for the attack, and the captain of the USS Vincennes was awarded the Legion of Merit for “extraordinary meritorious conduct in outstanding service”.
