Iran-Contra affair

1. A scandal in the administration of President Ronald Reagan, which came to light when it was revealed that in the mid-1980s the United States secretly arranged arms sales to Iran in return for promises of Iranian assistance in securing the release of Americans held hostage in Lebanon. Proceeds from the arms sales then were covertly and illegally funneled to the Contras, rebels fighting the Marxist Sandinista government in Nicaragua.

Example Sentences

It was mainstream conservatives, not some fringe, who perpetrated the Iran-Contra affair, invaded Iraq under false pretenses, enthusiastically tortured prisoners in the quixotic war on terrorism, and recklessly cut taxes and deregulated markets to pave the way for the biggest global financial crash since the Great Depression.

From Salon

It was mainstream conservatives, not some fringe, who perpetrated the Iran-Contra affair, invaded Iraq under false pretenses, tortured prisoners in the quixotic war on terrorism, and paved the way for the biggest global financial crash since the Great Depression.

From Salon

This authority has led to controversial decisions, including reprieves for the likes of President Richard Nixon, officials implicated in the Iran-Contra affair and disgraced commodities trader Marc Rich.

From Los Angeles Times

Ahmed was in his early teens during the Iran-Contra Affair and remembers the house being toilet-papered and finding nails beneath his parents’ car tires.

From Los Angeles Times

Could President Reagan have been prosecuted for the so-called Iran-Contra affair, a secret White House scheme to sell arms to Iran to support rebels in Nicaragua after Congress blocked their funding?

From Los Angeles Times