THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 23, 1995 TAG: 9503230568
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: DOHA, QATAR LENGTH: Short : 27 lines
Iran has installed chemical weapons along with 6,000 troops near the mouth of the Persian Gulf in a military buildup capable of crippling the flow of oil in the region, Defense Secretary William Perry said Wednesday.
``We really do not know why Iran would choose to deploy chemical weapons there, but we consider it to be a very negative factor,'' Perry said aboard the Navy frigate McClusky, which is based in Yokosuka, Japan. The ship was making a port call at Abu Dhabi, largest of the seven United Arab Emirates.
Perry said it was important for the Gulf Arab states to fully understand the nature of the threat Iran poses.
Perry, on a six-day gulf tour, has been urging Arab allies to upgrade their defenses and improve ties with the U.S. military in the face of military buildups by Iraq and Iran. by CNB