133 Statement by Defense Minister Sharon on Israeli Sale of Arms to Iran- 30 May 1982

I want to make clear that the revelations about supply of arms to Iran were not ours. The subject, which was dealt with in very close contacts at the highest levels between the two governments, was secret for many months, despite the fact that extensive talks on this subject were going on, in many meetings, with the participation of certainly no small number of persons, and the matter was kept secret by us. In the United States as well, during my visit, the matter was not revealed by us. We were not the ones who raised the issue. This issue was leaked, apparently by circles close to the American authorities, and what we had to do was set the record straight, so that it would be clear that the matter merely concerns limited activity, mainly indirect, that this matter was not a secret. This in order to counter an attempt to depict Israel as a state prepared to supply weapons to all comers, and not only regarding Iran. When I was there we were witness to a similar attempt to lay blame on Israel and depict it as a supplier of arms to Argentina. And despite denials from the Prime Minister, the Ecuadorian Government and myself on the spot, the banner headlines about that plane which stood at the airport repeatedly appeared, despite the fact that there was not even one grain of truth in this.