Critics should not be too quick to judge the United States’ cruiser Vincennes’ attack on Iran Air Flight 655 before the jury returns and the story is set straight.

Many unanswered questions remain as the grief and anger surrounding Sunday morning’s unintended tragedy still hang overhead.

But considering the confusion involved in the Persian Gulf situation itself, it is indeed “understandable,” as President Reagan said, that an incident causing the deaths of the 290 passengers and crew members aboard the wide-bodied Airbus occurred.

American naval forces have been helping to protect shipping in the Persian Gulf for better than a year and a half now, and it is obvious for the welfare of all involved there is no way out until the Iran-Iraq war is resolved. To continue the keeping of semblance of peace in the gulf, some precautions on the part of the U.S. must be taken.

Only 14 months since Iraq’s bombing of the America figate Stark in which 37 American sailors were killed, America commanders are under order to act more quickly and forcefully if their ships are threatened or they do not recieve a satisfactory response.

Taking this into consideration, the Vinennes did not have much of a choice than to handle the situation by defending itself.

If the facts remain that the Airbus ignored all seven of the warning messges, and it was drifting off course and refusing to move, then blame must be shared by the U.S. and Iran for the tragedy.