508 TOW missiles sent to Iran
In the first round of the secret arms deal, 508 TOW missiles were transferred from Israel to Iran in exchange for hostage releases.
Snapshot · Stuff You Should Know
Selects: Iran-Contra Affair: Shady in the 80s, Part 2
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Aug 8, 2026
Where this was said
Oliver North Goes to Iran — With Cyanide Pills
At 16:30 · chapter starts 14:30
North, who had been running the Contra operation for years and was no longer the covert novice he once was, was brought in to broker the Iran deal. He traveled to Iran under the alias 'William P. Goode, with an E,' using a fake passport. According to North's later congressional testimony, CIA Director William Casey gave him cyanide pills so he could end his own life rather than be tortured by the Iranians if the visit was a setup. He returned safely. His main Iranian contact was Manucher Ghorbanifar, an arms dealer described as 'ten shades of shady' — so untrustworthy that the CIA had issued a formal burn notice on him in 1983, warning all allied intelligence services to stay away. Oliver North's response was essentially: sounds good, I'll deal with him.
The Ghorbanifar Problem: CIA Burned This Guy in 1983
Iranian businessman Manucher Ghorbanifar, the key middleman in the Iran arms deal, was so untrustworthy that the CIA issued a 'burn notice' on him in 1983 — warning all allied intelligence services to stay away. Oliver North decided to work with him anyway.
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