ABSTRACT
The US naval presence in the Gulf is clearly directed against Iran. This too served to push Iran closer to the USSR. An Iran with strong economic links to Moscow is less likely to reestablish close ties to Washington. As a corollary, the intense cultivation of Teheran may be interpreted as a reaction to the increasing American role in the Gulf War. Unclear about Iranian motivations, Moscow sent conflicting signals. While exchanging delegations and signing new economic cooperation agreements, the Soviets neither softened nor abandoned their anti-Teheran rhetoric. The increasing tension in the Gulf throughout the spring and summer prompted the convening of an emergency session of the Arab League. The calls for Arab League action came on the heels of significant moves toward Arab unity which, at the ouset, pleased the Soviets. The emergency session itself took place in Tunis on August 23, 1987. Arab leaders convened to define a unified Arab stand on the Gulf War.
