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US foreign policy and Middle East peace

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7/4/98

USS Vincenes shoots down Iranian Airbus

As Americans celebrate Independence Day, 1998, we are much reminded of our history, which includes more than our defeat of the British in the Revolutionary War. For example, ten years ago, during a period of tension in the Middle East, US batleships were patrolling the Persian Gulf in an attempt to influence the outcome of the war between Iran and Iraq.

The one unforgettable image of what Iran did to Americans in 1979 is of the militant Iranian revolutionaries parading the blindfolded and handcuffed US hostages before TV cameras.

If Iranians have a single image of what America did to them,it's of the day, July 3, 1988, that the USS Vincennes shot down an Iranian passenger jet over the Persian Gulf, killing 290 people. Many Iranians wept as they saw television footage of bodies floating on water,including those of two children. The captain of the Vincennes said the plane was shot down by mistake. Despite such recent history, many Iranians never truly hated Americans, and have largely welcomed their president's calls for better relations.