IranContra

Iran-Contra, also known as Iran-Contra affair, was a major political scandal in the United States during the mid-1980s involving covert actions by members of the Reagan administration. The core elements centered on secretly facilitating arms sales to Iran, which was under an arms embargo, and using the proceeds to support the Contras, a rebel group opposing the Sandinista government in Nicaragua. The arrangement was presented as an attempt to secure the release of American hostages held by Iranian or Iran-linked groups, while pursuing U.S. policy goals in Central America.

The operations violated explicit legal restrictions, including the Boland Amendment, and were conducted outside the normal channels of authorization and oversight. The affair became public in 1986 after congressional inquiries and an independent inquiry led by the Tower Commission. It revealed the existence of secret arms transfers, unauthorized funding of the Contras, and attempts to conceal the transactions from Congress and the public. Key figures included National Security Council staff such as Oliver North and John Poindexter, along with various intermediaries and agency personnel.

Legal and political repercussions followed. Several participants were indicted and convicted, though many convictions were later overturned or pardoned. In 1992, President George H. W. Bush granted pardons to several individuals connected to the affair, effectively ending prosecutions linked to Iran-Contra. The episode prompted reforms and greater emphasis on congressional and judicial oversight of covert operations and intelligence activities, and it remains a frequently cited example of executive branch overreach in U.S. political history.