RE: http://www.military.com/opinio...15202,205488,00.html

What an extraordinary explanation of the events in Iran that led to the hostage crisis, the eventual return of the hostages, and the soured relationship that has existed between the US and Iran ever since.

Whats missing?

1. An explanation from Mr. North as to what motivated him to sell weapons to the Iranians - described in his (or his ghostwriter's article) as sworn enemies that are not worth negotiating with, during one of the worst periods of time. Might his old friends in Iran have something to say about him?

2. The event that triggered the hostage taking in the first place (lousy decision on the part of President Carter): allowing the Shah into the United States for cancer treatment when he was already terminal. That put the Iranians over the top (and the Shah was a real b*stard, to put it mildly).

3. According to the documentation from the administration of G W Bush, diplomatic overtures with the Iranians on issues of mutual concern were always responded to "positively".

4. After 9/11, the Iranians were the first muslim nation to condemn the attacks on the United States, offer condolences to our citizens, in addition to aid to help clean up afterwards.

Mr. North also fails to mention that the Iranians not only gave the US huge amounts of intelligence on Afghanistan to help us prepare for the Afghan Campaign, but also offered use of airfields, hospitals, and logistical support. Furthermore, they made it clear that they were interested in coming to the table (hat-in-hand) to bury the hatchet on all issues of the past with the direct intent of restoring full diplomatic relations. The Bush Administration responded by adding Iran to the so-called "axis of evil", in effect telling them they were next.

The Iranians also made an effort to create an international protocol for handing over terrorism suspects between nations. The Bush Administration refused that as well. Acceptence of that protocol would've made it possible for the Iranians to hand Bin Laden's son over to the US for interrogation. Instead, when his sentence was up in Iran, he went to Afghanistan where after many tries, we finally managed to kill him (however, we haven't yet created the technology to interrogate a dead man).

The largest diplomatic failures w/r/t Iran were earned by the administration of George W Bush. The larger moral failings w/r/t/ Iran can be credited in part to Mr. North, who sold out his country by selling arms to its adversary.