Why does the Iranian Air Force have American Tom Cats?

Question

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iran/airforce.htm
http://www.iiaf.net/archive/aircraft.html
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iran/airforce-equipment.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Republic_of_Iran_Air_Force
Isn't it because the Republicans sold them to the Iranians in the first place?

Ronald Reagan, Donald Rumsfeld and Ollie North should shake the Republican tree!!!

Answer 1

And they sold Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to Bin Laden. Republicans make no sense.

Answer 2

The US sold the planes to Iran along with spare parts. There are parts brokers in the world that have been working overtime these days to sell them more spare parts for the Tom Cats.

We sold the Tom Cats to Iran when they were threatened by Iraq and USSR. Neither is much of a threat to Iran any more so we butt into another countrry's business or try to make a fast buck and see what we get? The trouble is we never seem to learn the lesson to stay out of the affairs of other nations.

Fortunately those Tom Cats are old and we have better faster and newer weapons to go against them if they should be used on us. Israel has better stuff too should the Islamic Republic of Iran attack Israel.

Answer 3

There you go blaming the Republicans. well first off those Tom cats are out dated. As the report says on the first link on your post. Iran is buying new fighters from RUSSIA, not the USA to replace the old outdated Tom Cats. I'm sure back in the 70's or 80's we sold them some jets for whatever reason. But now Russia is the one selling to Iran a new type of fighter.

Answer 4

Whats the range on one of those fighters . I wonder if Tom Conolly the man who the fighter is named after would approve of its sale to the Iranians .Guess a personally flown suicide plane with a range of 1000 miles makes it a threat to millions of people . It could carry a 13,000 pound load thats nuke size to any target 1000 or so miles away .

Answer 5

About every ten years or so, Iran becomes our best buds again when we get tired of vilifying them and they get tired of demonizing us.

I don't know whether these planes date from the Shah days (he was a GOOD murderous tyrant, BTW) or maybe the Gipper sold them to Iran to help out the noble fascist contras in Nicaragua (they were GOOD insurgent terrorists, BTW)?

Answer 6

Republicans have nothing to do with it.

It is a free market, and the Iranians used false front companies in order to purchase what they needed.

Shouldn't matter much anyway as the F-14 is a very old technology as far as fighter planes go.

Answer 7

If it was so bad of an idea, why didn't your boy Jimmy stop the sale? They weren't delivered to Iran until well after he took office. His administration also continued to sell parts and weaponry for them.

Answer 8

No it was Jimmy Carter and the Democratic congress that sold them to them thank you! The Republicans did not get into office till after the Hostage crisis.

Answer 9

we used to be friends with Iran we needed them as a buffer zone against the commies back in the day so what would be a better way to do that than to arm the countries sou rounding the old USSR

Answer 10

The US sold them to the Iranians while the Iranians were our friends, before they were our enemies. Then we sold weapons to Sadaam to fight Iran when he was our friend, before he was our enemy. Our foreign policy in the Middle East is basically a bunch of flip-flops.