I ‧ ran ‧ gate /ɪˈrɑːnɡeɪt, ɪˈræn-/ BrE AmE , the Iˌran-ˈContra Afˌfair
a political ↑ scandal in 1987, when it was discovered that members of President ↑ Reagan 's government had sold weapons to Iran in exchange for the return of US ↑ hostage s (=people kept as prisoners by an enemy) , and had then used the profits to support the Contras, an unofficial army that was fighting the government in Nicaragua