Editor Who Broke Arms Story Says It Was Leaked by Khomeini’s Heir
BEIRUT — The man who broke the story of American arms sales to Iran says it was leaked by the office of Ayatollah Hussein Ali Montazeri, designated heir to Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Hassan Sabra, 38, publisher and editor of the Lebanese weekly Al-Shiraa, said he was cautious about the story, which ran in the small-circulation magazine.
“I broke it in a cautious way and it clicked all around,†Sabra said. “Of course, I am thrilled. I think it’s the scoop of the year.â€
First Public Disclosure
Sabra’s report, which hit newsstands on Nov. 4, was the first public disclosure of the Reagan Administration’s secret arms sales to Iran in a bid to improve relations with Tehran’s Shiite Muslim rulers and apparent attempt to help win the release of American hostages held by pro-Iranian Shiites in Lebanon.
It also was the first revelation that Reagan’s former national security adviser, Robert C. McFarlane, made secret trips to the Iranian capital to negotiate with government officials.
Sabra, in an interview last week, said the report was deliberately leaked to him by Montazeri’s office.
“That’s why I ran the report of McFarlane’s secret trips within the context of Iran’s current power struggle,†Sabra said.
Sources in Iran have said Montazeri was angry that officials led by Parliament Speaker Hashemi Rafsanjani made contacts with the United States without informing him first.
“Al-Shiraa was chosen because of my personal links with the Montazeris,†Sabra said.
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