{"product_id":"a-poisoned-chalice-the-u-s-navy-in-the-persian-gulf-1987-1988-hardcover","title":"A Poisoned Chalice: The U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf, 1987-1988 - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eStephen P. Phillips\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eHarold Bernsen\u003c\/b\u003e (Foreword by)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the 1980s, Iraq and Iran attacked each other's petroleum industry in the Persian Gulf in what became known as the Tanker War. In an effort to restore stability to the world's oil markets, the United States deployed a U.S. Navy flotilla to escort convoys of oil tankers in an operation dubbed Earnest Will. Although U.S. leaders imagined the Navy's presence would deter hostile action, the United States instead found itself embroiled in a secret war with Iran.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDuring Operation Earnest Will, U.S. Navy minesweepers and Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians kept commerce lanes clear of Iranian mines. U.S. Navy Special Boat Units and U.S. Army Special Operations helicopters interdicted the Iranian fleet of gunboats and minelayers. At a time when U.S. Navy planning focused on carrier battle group operations against the Soviet Navy, surface combatants and minesweepers found themselves taking the leading role against a regional power. As the conflict escalated, the U.S. Navy decimated the Iranian fleet in a one-day war called Operation Praying Mantis.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThough the United States would triumph over Iran, great tragedy came first. On July 3, 1988, USS \u003ci\u003eVincennes\u003c\/i\u003e mistakenly shot down an Iranian commercial flight, and all 290 passengers perished. Though gravely tragic, this event provided Iran's religious leader a face-saving means to end the Iran-Iraq War. Even as Ayatollah Khomeini accepted a peace treaty, he stated, \"Taking this decision is more deadly than drinking from a poisoned chalice.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlthough the Iran-Iraq War ended, Operation Earnest Will led to all the American conflicts in the modern era--the wars in Iraq, the Global War on Terrorism, and the attacks brewing today between the U.S. Navy and Iran's Houthi proxies in Yemen. In \u003ci\u003eA Poisoned Chalice\u003c\/i\u003e, former U.S. Navy Commander Stephen P. Phillips discusses the Iran-Iraq War's strategic implications, what happened at operational and tactical levels of warfare, and what the war teaches us about the United States' relationship with the Middle East today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eStephen P. Phillips\u003c\/b\u003e served in the U.S. Navy as a surface warfare officer and Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician. During his naval career he deployed to Haiti, Somalia, the Balkans, and the Persian Gulf and served in the Global War on Terrorism. Phillips is currently a design strategist and scientific diver at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. He is also a host of \u003ci\u003ePreble Hall\u003c\/i\u003e, a naval history podcast from the U.S. Naval Academy Museum, and host of \u003ci\u003eTalk a Little, Learn a Lot\u003c\/i\u003e, the podcast of the American Society of Naval Engineers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 304\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.33 x 9.21 x 6.42 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e April 01, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51990719496493,"sku":"9781640126947","price":37.78,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0938\/3185\/6429\/files\/KzaLOBmI9u9781640126947.webp?v=1776275373","url":"https:\/\/ishookbooks.com\/products\/a-poisoned-chalice-the-u-s-navy-in-the-persian-gulf-1987-1988-hardcover","provider":"iShook Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}