George H.W. Bush and Iran

George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st President of the United States (1989 to 1993), passed away on November 30, 2018, at the age of 94. He served as the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and was Vice President for two terms under Ronald Reagan (the then President), but prior to that, he held various political positions such as Congressman, Senator, and Secretary of the Republican Party. After his son was elected President of the United States (2001 to 2009), he became known as George Bush 'Senior'. Today, American society remembers George Bush Senior as a significant and enduring figure in the political history of the country and appreciates his international role during the years when the world was transitioning from a bipolar order. Although, for specific economic and domestic reasons, the American people preferred Bill Clinton over George Bush Senior in the second round of the presidential election, even today, compared to the current situation, two unique characteristics of George Bush Senior's era in terms of personality and family, as well as in foreign policy, are noted and respected. His calm nature, which showed little interest in rapid changes, is exemplary. He preferred stability and calm over sudden changes—even in a time when the world was undergoing geopolitical transition and communism was on the verge of collapse. He aided Gorbachev during the collapse of communism and refrained from declaring victory, which prevented the complexities in U.S.-Russia relations. Another notable characteristic was his affection for his wife and family. He lived with his wife for 72 years and passed away a few months after her death. His four-year presidency coincided with sensitive events in the world, especially in the Middle East. Bush demonstrated that he could pursue his foreign policy goals both unilaterally and multilaterally. In the first year of his presidency, the invasion of Panama and the capture of Manuel Noriega for drug trafficking exemplified unilateral action. Although consensus cannot be reached on Middle Eastern issues, particularly regarding Palestine and Israel due to the variety of political actors involved, Bush's efforts undoubtedly brought the issue of peace between Palestinians and Israelis to an international stage and revitalized it with the Madrid Peace Conference in 1991. Although today, nearly thirty years later, this relationship has not only not progressed but has declined, the positive role of George Bush Senior during that period cannot be denied. In 1990, Bush announced a new world order that, in his view, should be free of any threats and terrorism, seeking greater justice and security, and desiring peace. Saddam Hussein's actions in the Persian Gulf and the invasion of Kuwait were in complete contradiction to Bush's new world order and justified a type of U.S. response to Saddam's actions in occupying Kuwait, demonstrating how capable Bush was in pursuing foreign policy goals and creating a strong international coalition for multilateral action. In the international coalition against Iraq, even Arab countries like Syria and Egypt participated against Iraq, which was a powerful Arab country and had at times been allied with them. For some Iraqis, George Bush evokes bitter memories. After Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait (Gulf War 1990-1992), the bitterness of UN sanctions against Iraq, and more severely, the military operation 'Desert Storm', during which nearly all cities in Iraq were targeted by coalition forces under George Bush's command. However, even at that time, many Iraqis believed that George Bush should have continued his advance to the point of overthrowing Saddam Hussein's regime. Five weeks after the bombings conducted by the U.S. Navy and Air Force, ground forces began their movement, and just one hundred hours after the ground operation, Iraq was forced to accept a ceasefire. George Bush (Senior) refused to use U.S. military forces to establish a presence in Iraq, and as a result, although Iraq was forced to evacuate Kuwait, the structure of Saddam Hussein's regime remained intact. It was only during George W. Bush's presidency (the son) that following the events of September 11, 2003, military occupation of Iraq ended the rule of the Ba'ath Party and Saddam's regime. Regarding George Bush and Iran, Iranian state media reported the death of President Bush on the last day of November this year, citing international reports without lengthy interpretations. Viewers of the Islamic Republic's television learned of his death through a narrow, moving news ticker at the bottom of the state television screen. This ticker also labeled Bush, like other U.S. presidents, as 'seeking the downfall of the Islamic Republic'. George Bush served as Vice President under Ronald Reagan for two terms, and thus, he had both direct and indirect roles in several major events related to Iran. Perhaps the issue of Western and American hostages in Lebanon is the most significant of these; however, the targeting of an Iran Air passenger plane in the last weeks of the Iran-Iraq war (July 3, 1988) is a topic on which George Bush, as Reagan's Vice President, had a clear position. In this incident, the Iran Air passenger plane flying from Bandar Abbas to Dubai was targeted by a Phoenix missile fired from the deck of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Vincennes. All 290 passengers on board, including 66 children and 46 non-Iranians, lost their lives in this incident. On July 14, 1988, George Bush, who was still Reagan's Vice President but was preparing for the next election campaign, presided over the opening session of the Security Council. Ali Akbar Velayati, the then Iranian Foreign Minister, delivered a 90-minute speech detailing the targeting of Iran Air Flight 655 and stated that contrary to what the U.S. claimed, 'this disaster cannot be attributed to a mistake', listing the contradictions in the justifications provided by the Americans. He read aloud the transcripts of conversations between the Iranian Airbus 300 pilot and the control towers in Bandar Abbas, Tehran, and Dubai, stating that the pilot had declared the aircraft to be civilian and that the communication with the control tower had been conducted correctly. U.S. officials had claimed that their intelligence indicated the aircraft was military. In this session, a direct verbal dispute occurred between Velayati and George Bush, who, according to what is recorded in the Washington Post archives, deemed Velayati's statements 'aggressive' and 'absurd', rejecting Iran's accusation that the attack by the USS Vincennes was premeditated. Bush stated that Velayati 'knows that this disaster was an accident'. In his subsequent remarks, Bush stated that 'the fundamental responsibility' lies with Iran because it allowed the aircraft to fly in a war zone. Although Bush did not express regret or apologize immediately after the incident, he adopted a more conciliatory tone in the Security Council meeting, saying, '... of course we feel bad, of course we feel sympathy, and of course it matters to us.' In another part of his remarks, Bush expressed hope that the Security Council meeting could 'end the bloodshed and bring peace'. At the same time, Bush considered the missile attack on Iran Air as 'self-defense' and urged the Security Council to end the war in the Persian Gulf. George Bush spoke in a respectful tone and used the full title 'Islamic Republic of Iran' in his remarks. Later, following Iran's complaint to the Hague Court, Iran and the U.S. reached an agreement to compensate Iran for the incident without the U.S. accepting responsibility or the court issuing a ruling, thus closing the case. William Rogers, the commander of the U.S. warship, received a medal for bravery at the end of his service, and none of the ship's crew faced prosecution. The existence of Western and American hostages and several missing Americans in Lebanon was one of the most important issues that George Bush faced after taking office as President. By the end of Ronald Reagan's term, Iran and the U.S. had not succeeded in resolving their differences, and the Iran-Contra affair had ended in a political scandal without improving relations between the two countries. In his inaugural address, Bush had signaled a green light to Iran, stating with his famous phrase, 'Goodwill begets goodwill', that he wanted to resolve issues between Iran and the U.S. through goodwill. Shortly before that, the Iran-Iraq War had ended, and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the second-ranking official in Iran's power hierarchy, was personally interested and optimistic about establishing relations with the U.S. Rafsanjani had officially stated in a televised speech, 'Iran is ready to work with those Western countries that are willing to do so based on equal treatment without seeking revenge, expansionism, and monopolism.' With the death of Ayatollah Khomeini and the swift succession of Ali Khamenei, George Bush was keen to leverage Iran's influence among Hezbollah to facilitate the release of American hostages in Lebanon. In exchange for the release of the hostages, the promise of releasing Iran's frozen assets was on the table. Naturally, continuing this path could have ended nearly ten years of conflict between Iran and the U.S. (up to that time) and, given the collapse of the Soviet Union, could have stabilized Iran's relations with the West. However, the matter did not proceed as simply as that, and despite the mediation of Gian Domenico Pico, the then Deputy Director-General of the United Nations for Political Affairs, and despite Hashemi Rafsanjani's government attempting to establish some form of relationship with the U.S. as the first government after the Iraq War, other complexities arose. Among these was Iran's demand for the release of four Iranian hostages reportedly seen in Israeli prisons. Meanwhile, a report emerged showing the hanging of a U.S. Navy lieutenant named William Hapkens. This incident occurred after Hashemi Rafsanjani had asked the U.S. to pressure Israel to release Sheikh Obeid, a commander of Palestinian resistance. The hanging of William Hapkens pointed the finger at Iran, and overall, the demands and influencing factors became so numerous and complex that Iran, without being able to take advantage of the opportunity, lost the initiative, and George Bush conditioned any reciprocal action on the release of all Western and American hostages, thus keeping the Iran-U.S. relationship tied up. Today, nearly a quarter of a century has passed since George Bush's presidency and forty years since the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran. However, the longer time goes on, the more difficult it seems to find a solution to the disputes between Iran and the U.S.