Four years later, televised congressional hearings revealed McFarlane as a linchpin in the scandal known as Iran-Contra riveted millions of Americans.McFarlane led arms sales to people he thought were moderates in capital on hopes they could free seven U.S. hostages held by homeland-linked Hezbollah in Lebanon. The failed attempts to free them circumvented a U.S. arms embargo to homeland and took place only a few years after persian militants had held 52 hostages at the U.S. embassy in capital for more than a year.