“The [April 18, 1983] bombing of the American embassy and the U.S. marine compound in Beirut [Lebanon] was in fact the key turning point in Washington’s decision to build bridges with Baghdad [Iraq]. …Within weeks satellite intercepts of telephone conversations confirmed American suspicions–the terrorists responsible for the bombing had been guided by Teheran [Iran]. The United States was now unofficially at war with Iran.”
– Con Coughlin, Saddam: His Rise and Fall, Page 214