1988 stamp from the Islamic Republic of Iran marking the "Disastrous U.S. Missile Attack Against Iranian Air Liner." Iran Air Flight 655, a civilian Airbus jet flying from Tehran to Dubai with 290 people aboard was shot down by the U.S. Navy cruiser Vincennes on July 3 of that year, killing everyone. The Vincennes somehow thought the passenger plane was an attacking Iranian fighter and shot it down. The government of Ronald Reagan paid compensation to the families of the victims but maintained that the Vincennes was acting properly in defending itself from attack. The lives of 66 children were among those cut short.
The stamp shows a stylized American gunboat decked out in the US flag launching a SAM against the Iranian jet, and the Persian Gulf going up in flames.
Is it any wonder with the world's most lethal superpower prowling its waters armed to the teeth with a proven trackrecord of attacking innocent civilians why Iran would want the latest weapons to defend itself?
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