WASHINGTON — The United States, acknowledging Iranian military
procurement, has halted sales of spare parts from its retired F-14
fighter-jet fleet.
The Defense Department said it suspended sales of F-14 spare parts on
Jan. 26 pending a review, Middle East Newsline reported. The Pentagon said Iran has been buying the spare
parts to maintain its aging fleet of more than 50 F-14s, procured in the
1970s.
"It was the prudent thing to do," Defense Logistics Agency spokesman
Jack Hooper said on Tuesday.
The suspension was imposed as Congress considered legislation to halt
the export of F-14 spare parts. House and Senate members accused the
Pentagon of failing to ensure that the aircraft parts do not reach Iran.
"This is an appropriate and necessary short-term step to solving this
problem," said Rep. Christopher Shays, a Connecticut Republican, said.
Officials said the Pentagon would examine its processing and sale of
spare parts. They said the review was prompted by reports that Iran had
launched an aggressive policy to purchase spare parts to maintain its Tomcat
fleet and other American weapons.
Iran was believed capable of producing about 15 percent of F-14 spare
parts, officials said. Until its decision, the Pentagon had sought to sell
76,000 parts of the F-14.
"In this era of instability, we can hardly afford to be sloppy about
something as sensitive as our national security," Sen. John Kerry, a
Massachusetts Democrat, said.
Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, has introduced a bill that would
halt U.S. sales of surplus F-14 spare parts. The legislation would prohibit
those who have already acquired such parts from exporting them.
"The only way to ensure that America doesn't arm Iran is for the U.S. to
permanently stop selling these weapons parts," Wyden said. "This review does
not do that and I am going to press on until it happens."