World Notes THE GULF

The blast in the Persian Gulf last week was reminiscent of attacks on gulf tankers during the eight-year Iran-Iraq war that ended in a cease-fire 1 1/2 years ago. Surf City, a Kuwaiti tanker flying the Stars and Stripes, was % sailing off the coast of the United Arab Emirates when an explosion set it on fire. The captain and first mate were killed, but the 23 other sailors were rescued by a nearby American frigate.

The disaster was accidental, but the event was a reminder that five Kuwaiti tankers are still sailing under U.S. protection. U.S. warships no longer escort the specially flagged tankers -- they merely monitor their passage -- and the U.S. naval presence in the gulf has slipped to ten vessels, down from about 30.