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Show Iranian Jet Is Suspected in Strike On British Ship in Persian Gulf By Aly Mahmoud Associated Press Writer A warplane MANAMA, Bahrain believed to be Iranian attacked a British oil tanker Tuesday in international waters of the Persian Gulf, and Iraq claimed it destroyed a ship near an Iranian oil field in the gulf. Two missiles struck the British vessel, but one bounced off and the other only started a small fire. In Baghdad, Iraq, a military spokesman read a communique over the state radio saying Iraqi and navy vessels attacked and destroyed a "big naval target" Tuesday night near an Iranian oil field in the northeastern section of the gulf, near Irans coast. The term big naval target in Iraqi military parlance usually refers to an oil tanker. The communique did not give the nationality of the ship and said nothing about casualties. It did say the ship was on fire and the attackers returned safely to their bases. Baghdad said the attack underlines our determination to maintain rs Persian Gulf. No casualties were reported from the attack. A spokesman for Lloyd's of London, the British Renown's insurer, said the vessel was the first oil tanker to be hit since Iran-Irawar grew the to include attacks on Persian Gulf shipping early this year. The spokesman spoke on condition of anonymity He said a bulk and tighten the sea blockade imposed on Iranian ports." Iraq said in February that it was imposing a blockade to try to interrupt Iran's oil business. Describing the attack on the British oil tanker, Bahrain shipping sources said the British Renown, owned by British Petroleum Co. PLC, was 72 miles northeast of this gulf island Arab sheikdom when an Iranian spotter plane flew overhead. Moments later, a jetfighter swooped low over the vessel, unleashing two missiles into the 133,000-to- n structure, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Small Fire Ignited One missile bounced off the deck and the other hit equipment, igniting a small fire that was put out by crew members, the sources said. None of the 24 Britons and two Maltese aboard was injured, British Petroleum said. The British Renown was on its way to pick up crude oil aboard the Swiss-owne- d tanker Tiburon, which was crippled by an Iraqi missile June 27 near Irans Kharg Island oil terminal. British-registere- d The Tiburon was towed last week to a point about 70 miles north of See Page 2, Column 1 q British-registere- d carrier, the 19,000-to- n Charming, was damaged by in an attack March 1 off the Iranian port of Bandar Khomeini The attack by Iraqi jets and naval vessels also damaged two other vessels in a ship convoy. In International Waters a The Renown was hit near the Island, in international waters, between Saudi Arabian and Iranian territorial waters, said a shipping source in Kuwait. He also spoke on condition of anonymity. The source in Kuwait said the misto the sile caused little damage vessel, which changed course and headed to the port of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. There was no immediate comment from Iran or Iraq on the attack. Ara-biy- QATAR AP in international waters. U.S. Intervention in Gulf Unlikely, Says Official By Lawrence L. Knutson Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - While there is war still a chance the bitter Iran-Ira- q might close the sea lanes of the Persian Gulf, there is a reduced possibility the United States will be compelled to intervene militarily to keep the regions oil flowing, a senior State Department official said Tuesday. We have never been eager to intervene militarily and I think that message has gotten across, Richard Murphy, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, said in an interview with news agency reporters. But Murphy said it is obvious that attacks on oil tankers and other ships by Iraq and Iran are not over. I think we are going to see more, he said. The capability on both sides is still there. Warplane Fired at Tanker As if to underscore his words, reports from shipping sources in Kuwait and Lloyds of London, the international shipping insurance brokers, said an unidentified warplane fired two missiles at a British tanker in the gulf Tuesday, causing a small and quickly extinguished fire aboard the 133,000-to- n vessel Renown. Murphy said it is theoretically possible that shipping companies could eventually decline to place their vessels and personnel at risk in the gulf. And he said Lloyds could theoreti cally raise insurance rates so high as to effectively close the gulf down. But that seems a distant possibility, Murphy said, adding that so far the lid has been kept on the financial repercussions of the tanker attacks. Market Remains Glutted He noted that the petroleum market remains glutted, that oil prices are dropping, and that the war has states to prompted build pipelines to move their oil to shippers outside the danger zone. Nonetheless, he noted that both President Reagan and former President Carter committed the United States to keeping open the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the gulf. And we have developed plans to Hormones Discovered in Bourbon WASHINGTON e - Fem(UPI) ale-type hormones derived from plants have been found in bourbon, raising the possibility they are the cause of the "feminizing effects sometimes seen in alcoholic men, a scientist reported Tuesday. Previous research has concentrated on the ethanol in bourbon and other alcohol beverages as the possible cause of the loss of facial hair and breast enlargement that occasionally occurs in male chronic alcohol abusers with cirrhosis of the liver. Judith Gavaler of the University of Pittsburgh said three kinds of the substances known as were found in bourbon. Moreover, tests with rats showed d these estrogens were active as hormones in the lab animals. Bourbon is made from corn, which is known to contain phytoestrogens, Ms. Gavaler said. She said the substances also have been identified in wheat, rice and hops, from which beer is made. Ms. Gavaler said no one is known to have looked for the estrogens in grapes used in wine making. phyto-estroge- plant-derive- Ms. Gavaler, a research associate at the universitys department of medicine, reported her findings related to the feminization of some alcoholic men with cirrhosis at a seminar sponsored by the Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Administration. She said another estrogen-lik- e effect associated with alcoholic beverages is increased levels of a "good kind of cholesterol that may help protect against heart disease. All three of the found in bourbon betasitosterol, also biochanin A and genistein have been found in human breast cancer tissue. But Ms. Gavaler said it is far too soon to reach any conclusions about alcoholic beverages and breast cancer because she said it is possible the substances may also exist in normal breast tissue. phyto-estroge- She also said no one has yet looked to see if the exist in other alcoholic beverages, but added: I would suggest its safe to assume that other alcoholic beverages also contain phyto-estroge- Soviet Fleet: By Ed Blanche Associated Press Writer LONDON Explosions at a major Soviet ammunitions depot crippled the fighting capacity of the Soviet Unions northern fleet and killed at least 200 navy personnel, Janes Defense Weekly reported Tuesday. The authoritative defense publication said the northern fleet would not be a viable force for the next six months because it lost p s and of its surface-to-ai- r missiles in the May 13 explosions. The blasts occurred at the Severomorsk base on the Kola Peninsula, about 60 miles from Norway, NATO's northern flank. The peninsula is the site of depots, shipyards and base facilities supporting the northern fleet. The destruction represents the greatest disaster to occur in the Soviet navy since World War II, said Janes. "It is conservatively estimated that it will be two years before the facility is fully operational again. No Soviet Report The Soviets have said nothing about the explosions, which were spotted by U.S. spy satellites and seisomological facilities. Janes spokesman Richard Coltart said the independent publications information came from Western naval sources with access to intelligence material. NATO naval sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Jane's report was substantially correct." But some defense two-third- ship-to-shi- Return Get One-Ye- Reprieve From IHL ar See Story on B-- 4 FTC Scraps Warning Rule on Used Car Sales By David Goeller Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - The drop their legal challenge, would require used vehicles to carry stickers that: Spell out the terms of any warranty on the car or state whether the car is sold "as is. If there is no warranty, the sticker must say that repairs are the buyers responsibility. Suggest the customer obtain an independent inspection of the vehicle. Bear a warning that because spoken promises are difficult to enforce, dealer assurances should be obtained in writing. plan Scrapping the known-defewas recommended by the FTCs Bureau of Consumer Protection, which Voting to drop the known-defecproposal were the three commissioners appointed by President Reagan: Chairman James C. Miller III, George Douglas and Terry Calvani. Carter administration holdovers Patricia Bailey and Michael Pertschuk pushed for the stronger language. Under the abandoned approach, which was challenged in court by auto retailers, dealers would have had to tell customers in writing about any known mechanical problems with a used car. The new language, which could become final upon a second FTC vote within 60 days if the auto dealers ts Federal Trade Commission, taking what one dissident member called a "buyer-be-war- e stand, voted Tuesday to scrap its controversial proposal to force used-ca- r dealers to warn customers about a vehicles known defects. The action, hailed by the National Automobile Dealers Association, came on a 2 vote tentatively adopting a revised rule that the FTC majority hopes will end an eight-yea- r battle to bring federal regulation to used-ca- r the 3-- Postal Service Stamped With Losses - The U.S. WASHINGTON (AP) Postal Service is back to its tradition- al red ink and expects to continue to lose money for the rest of the year, Postmaster General William F. Bolger said Tuesday. The mail agency, which is facing a July 21 deadline to negotiate a new labor contract with more than 600,000 unionized employees, lost $69 million show that so far this fiscal year, the agency is $358 million ahead, but in May it suffered a $19.5 million loss. last month, Bolger told the governing board of the Postal Service. Volume and revenue growth remain strong, but we will continue to suffer losses for the rest of this year, he said. The Postal Service has reported surpluses the last two years, and had projected a surplus again for this fiscal year, ending Sept. 30. Records The only other loss recorded this fiscal year was an $8.2 million monthly deficit. Bolger said the cost of overtime payments to postal workers are entirely too high. said it could confuse car buyers because a blank form could lead to the belief a vehicle was free of defects. On The Inside Tribune Telephone Numbers, Page A-- 2 Page Business Classified Comics Crossword Editorials C-l- G-2- ,3 G-- 5 A-1- 0 Entertainment Foreign Food National Obituaries Public Forum Sports Star Gazer Television Washington A-8A-6E-l-- 8 G-- 4 A-- ll G-- 3 C-- 7 A-- 3 Todays Forecast Fair Salt Lake City and vicinity to partly cloudy. Lows upper 50s. B-Highs low 90s. Details, Janes Weekly Says Fighting Ability Crippled by Ammo Depot Explosions specialists and U.S. intelligence sources disagreed. InterMaj. Bob Elliott of the London-base- d national Institute of Strategic Studies remarked: Since it is the northern fleet involved, we have no doubt that every available piece of ordnance has been combed out of the system and has already been used to make up the losses. He added: "An operational fleet of that nature would be given top priority. The losses were a setback, but it would have been more important if the northern fleet spent a lot of time at sea in confrontation with NATO. No Reliable Estimates In Washington, U.S. intelligence sources said there were no reliable estimates of casualties in the blasts. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Soviet ships carry missiles and other ammunition, ensuring that the fleet would remain a formidable operating force. The northern fleet, headquartered in Murmansk, is the most powerful fleet in the Soviet navy. It is believed to have an aircraft carrier, 148 cruisers, destroyers and other warships with 190 of the Soviets 371 subma- - Todays Chuckle It's possible to reopen a mind that's been closed, but Golden Eagles Stand Taken Buyer-Bewa- re Female-Typ- cess to the gulf as vital, intervention cannot be flatly ruled out. We dont seek it, Murphy said. We do want the countries in the region to be able to assure their own security and I think we are doing a pretty good job. On other issues, Murphy said the United States is somewhat encouraged that warring elements in Lebanon now appear to be striving to pull together, to unify the divided capital of Beirut, to open the airport and port and to resume commerce. And he said it is clear there has been a shift in the approach of Syria after the scrapping off the May 17, 1983 troop withdrawal agreement between Lebanon and Israel which Syria steadfastly opposed. see that we can carry out that commitment, Murphy said. But our efforts are also directed at winding down the war to contain it and end it to make sure that the gulf states have the perception and confidence that the United States and others will make available the weaponry by which they can assure their own defense, he said. And he said these actions have served to contain the conflict and to minimize the need for outside intervention. "I think the policy is working, Murphy said. He said the possibility of Western military intervention is less likely than it was earlier, but cautioned that because the West has described ac Mod British tanker was attacked its still under the same old rines, all carrying their full missile armament. In wartime, the northern fleet it would be responsible for pushing into the Atlantic Ocean to attack NATOs supply line and launch amphibious assaults on Norway. Janes said the May 13 explosions apparently were triggered by too many munitions and that an . . . stored too close together initial explosion touched off sympathetic detonations around the whole complex. Rule Out Sabotage Western intelligence sources have ruled out sabotage and believe the most likely cause for the explosions was "carelessness, the publication said. Janes said the blasts destroyed an estimated 580 of the fleets 900 and surface-to-a- ir missiles and nearly 320 of the e 400 and weapons. SA-N-- 3 SA-N-- 1 SS-N- SS-N-- Type Surlece-To-Ai- SA-N-- Kiev 3 Class Missile r ship-to-sh- ip long-rang- The are supersonic cruise missiles able to carry nuclear warheads. Janes said the "complete stock" of about 80 missiles, also capable of carrying nuclear warheads, and an "indeterminate number of anti-shi- p nuclear-capabl- e missiles were destroyed. It said ballistic missiles used by the fleets submarines, which patrol the eastern seaboard of the United States, escaped damage from the explosions. 2 SS-N-- 580 of 900 SA-N-- 1 & SA-N-- & SS-N-1- 3 missiles destroyed 320 Of 400 SS-N-- 3 2 missiles destroyed Complete stock of about 80 missiles and some missiles also destroyed long-rang- e SS-N-2- SS-N-1- 2 9 & Some SAMs were damaged SA-N-- 6 SA-N-- 7 lltSArT Northern fleet based in Murmansk is the most powerful of four Soviet Navy fleets Led by an aircraft carrier and comprised of 148 cruisers, destroyers and other warships Also has 190 of Soviets'371 submarines Wartime responsibilities include the Atlantic Ocean and amphibious operations against Norway. NATOs northern flank Source Jane's Defense Weekly i r 1 iv- - |