Carter Cuts Ties With Iran

Faculty members yesterday attacked President Carter's announced actions against Iran, his strongest to date, calling them either misdirected or late.

"I think the action is a serious mistake," Roger Fisher '47, Williston Professor of Law, said, adding, "We've had a problem in communicating with Iran, but in order to improve the communications, the President has cut the telephone line."

Fisher said the U.S. can how expect Iran to take a harder stand, at least in the short term.

Though he said he doubts the sanctions will jeopardize the hostages' well-being, Fisher said they will delay the 50 Americans' transfer from the Iranian militants to the ruling Revolutionary Council.

"It looks to me as though the President was responding to domestic politics more than to what makes sense in Iran," Fisher said, adding that the believes Carter should have pursued more diplomatic channels.

However, Adam B. Ulam, professor of Government, said the President's actions were "largely overdue," adding that his delay may reduce the impact on Iran.

"The threat of the sanctions should have been invoked right away," Ulam said, adding, "In the old days, the taking of hostages would have been considered an act of war."

Iran interpreted U.S. inaction as a sign of weakness, Ulan said. He added that Iran's continued refusal to release the hostages made the stronger U.S. response unavoidable.

"It's difficult to predict what the effects will be--we're not dealing with an entirely rational system," he said.

Carter took the steps because "he was obviously feeling more and more pressure to take some action," David E. Kaiser, assistant professor of History, said. The measures will not make the hostages' release more likely, he added.

Jorge I. Dominguez, associate professor of Government, said the actions could produce a backlash effect against the hostages. "When you retaliate in this fashion, it's one of the things you open yourself up to," he said.

Dominguez added that the measures are unlikely to produce a quick release of the hostages, saying, "They don't seem sufficiently stringent for Iran to give in."

Iranian students were unsure yesterday how Carter's decision would affect them.

"We are the little guys in the middle who feel the pain," Bahram Irani, a second-year Business School student, said yesterday, adding that he is unsure whether he will be allowed to work in the United States after graduation.

"I think there is no correlation between what these guys are doing in Iran and Iranians in this country," John Mojdehi, a graduate student, said