A Poisoned Chalice: The U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf, 1987–1988

by Stephen Phillips, Harold Bernsen (Foreword)

In 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.

During 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.

Though the U.S. would triumph over Iran, great tragedy came first. On July 3, 1988, USS Vincennes 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 signed a peace treaty, he stated, “Signing this document is like drinking from a poisoned chalice.”

Although 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 A Poisoned Chalice, 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’ relationships with the Middle East today.

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2026

About the author

Dr. Stephen Phillips is a 1992 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. He served in the U.S. Navy as a Special Operations Officer and Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician at EOD Mobile Units Six, Eight, and Ten. Steve is the author of "Proximity: A Novel of the Navy's Elite Bomb Squad," "The Recipient's Son," a coming-of-age story set at the U.S. Naval Academy and the forthcoming "A Poisoned Chalice: The U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf, 1987-1988.

Steve is a lifetime member of Navy and Marine Corps EOD Association (N&MCEODA) and the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).

Follow Steve on Twitter @eodauthor or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AuthorStephe...

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally I know more about the Stark attack and the Vincennes shoot down. A thorough and engaging telling of events in the Persian Gulf prior to Desert Storm.

Why the CO of the Roberts didn't make admiral is beyond me. Why the CO of the Stark received NJP I understand now- too focused on an engineering inspection and not the threat. This was quite surprising as the CO was a fast tracker and most certainly would have been an admiral. The Vincennes tragedy was so avoidable. An aggressive CO who lacked the training on his Aegis system. I never knew that this tragedy ended the Iran-Iraq War.

It seems though that all this knowledge was lost as the Navy is inept in the current Iran War. The Iranians have closed the strait and have the initiative. Where are our minesweepers? There is no coalition. Where are the mobile barges for SF? Instead of targeting Teheran we should be targeting small boats laying mines as well as all Iranian naval support activities. This is not so much a failure of our Navy as our political leadership who act impetuously and fail to understand that planning requires time and patience. The Iranians understand this much better than our leaders and have done their homework.

[Earl Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping story of what really happened during the Tanker Wars of 1987-88. Phillips wastes no time in diving into the facts of what happened during multiple events, incorporating a unique perspective into the details of WHY they happened.

This should be required reading for Surface Warfare Officer School (SWOS) and certain Naval War College courses. The fog of battle resulting from a complex command structure combined with multiple surface and aviation entities operating across a relatively small area of operations become clear to the reader. The "human element" of tactical warfighting in the modern age become extremely clear.

It's gripping from start to finish, and it should be read by our forces currently deployed to the Persian Gulf region. Many of the fundamentals from 1987-88 are still relevant today.

Lastly, this reads like a good (and true!) sea story, told among friends over Guiness Stout. Possibly with some Old Bay...