---
category: Military Installation
summary: Marana is a CIA airbase near Tucson, Arizona, that served as a collection
  and staging point for U.S. government weapons transferred to Israel and subsequently
  to Iran, including 4,000 TOW missiles shipped through Guatemala and Australia in
  February 1987.
tags:
- Location
- MilitaryBase
- USA
---

[Marana](/places/marana/) is a [CIA](/organizations/central-intelligence-agency/) airbase located near Tucson, Arizona. It served as a collection point for weapons purchased by the [U.S.](/places/united-states/) government for transfer to [Israel](/places/israel/) and subsequently to [Iran](/places/iran/).[^1]

The first batch of weapons from [Marana](/places/marana/) was flown out in October 1981. In February 1987, 4,000 [TOW missile](/concepts/tow-missile/)s were flown out of [Marana](/places/marana/) Base to [Guatemala](/places/guatemala/) and then shipped through [Australia](/places/australia/) as part of a large-scale arms supply operation to [Iran](/places/iran/).[^1]

[^1]: Ben-Menashe, Ari. *Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network*. TrineDay, 1992.