Plane that fell in USSR reported on Iran arms run

July 27, 1981

An Argentine cargo plane that went down mysteriously last week in Soviet airspace was returning from the third of 12 scheduled trips to Iran in a $15 million arms deal in which Israel was to supply Iran with US-made tank parts and ammunition, the Sunday Times of London reported.

Israel had agreed to provide 360 tons of military equipment to the Muslim regime in Tehran, which is at war with Iraq, the Sunday Times said.

A Miami-based Scot who was hired to arrange the massive arms deal chartered the Argentine plane and was killed when it crashed, according to his Swiss partner, who gave the newspaper details of the operation.