[NY Attitude]

The Iraqi's will never be the ally to the west like the Shah of Iran was. The Shah was the only one granted the use of the F-14 Tomcat other than the US. Navy. Is there a real reason to give such capable weapons to these guys? Would they be as loyal to the US as the Shah was?

[DJ Elliott]

We already export these to ME countries.
The USAF is replacing theirs with F35 rather than going with upgraded versions.
F16 is the most widely exported fighter we build.
It was the low end of a high-low mix fielded in 70s/80s.
It is being phased out of US service.

The comparison to the F14 sale is incorrect.
That was still a first line aircraft at the time of the sale to the Shah and the last F14 squadron in US service did not decom until 3 years ago...