Iran-Contra affair

Cultural  

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.

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Iran-Contra affair

Ronald Reagan tried as well, and the Iran-Contra affair sprung from misguided hopes of getting the regime to free other U.S. hostages, and from there move past hostility.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

A secretary in Ronald Reagan’s administration, Fawn Hall, testified that she altered and helped shred documents related to the Iran-Contra affair to protect Oliver North, her boss at the White House National Security Council.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 4, 2022

The debut season of the docuseries “Fiasco” dives into the Iran-Contra affair, a political scandal that rocked the Reagan administration in the mid-1980s.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2021

His "mistakes were made" approach, which uses a passive voice to avoid laying the blame directly on oneself, was later adopted by others, including Ronald Reagan over the Iran-Contra affair.

From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2021

When National Security Council staffer Oliver North enthusiastically testified in favor of President Ronald Reagan in the Iran-Contra affair, he became a darling of conservatives, launching a new career as media personality and political activist.

From Reuters ● Nov. 14, 2019