In its approval of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, the Senate voted to include an amendment based on the "Stop Arming Iran Act" prohibiting the Pentagon from selling surplus parts and equipment for F-14 fighter aircraft. The United States and Iran are the only two countries currently flying the F-14.
Correction: The U.S. Navy retired the F-14 from service on Sept. 22, 2006. The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force is now the only official military operator of the F-14.
Prior to its 1979 revolution, Iran bought seventy-nine of the Northrop-Grumman made F-14s from U.S. manufacturers. While most of the Iranian F-14s are now grounded due to lack of repair parts, U.S. customs agents have discovered that F-14 parts are still being shipped to Iran after being purchased at Department of Defense (DOD) auctions.
The Senate found that existing rules restricting the DoD from selling F-14 parts have failed to stop Iran from acquiring them. In some cases, private companies have purchased parts, only to later re-sell them to Iran. In addition, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has reported cases of the DOD selling F-14 parts to its undercover agents.
The Department of Defense sells its surplus property to the public through a Web site run by its contractor, Government Liquidation. Before excess property can be sold on this site, it is DOD policy to "demilitarize" the property to ensure that it cannot be reutilized by enemy nations or that its sale would not result in sensitive military property becoming publicly available. However, in July 2006, the GAO reported that "management control breakdowns" in DOD policy had resulted in the sale of sensitive military property – including F-14 parts -- to the public.
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Correction to article: only Iran flies the Tomcat these days as US Navy retired the last of their Tomcats a year ago.