SOVIET TANKERS SET TO CARRY KUWAITI OIL Kuwait has agreed to charter tankers from the Soviet Union in a move to protect its oil exports through the Mideast Gulf, diplomatic sources said. They said the agreement followed months of talks with the Soviet Union and the U.S. On ways to secure its oil exports after Iran started to attack Kuwaiti-connected vessels in retaliation for Kuwait's backing for Iran's war enemy Iraq. Diplomats said they expect three Soviet tankers initially to reinforce other flags already supporting Kuwait's 22-tanker fleet. The diplomats said they knew of no deal for Moscow to provide a naval escort for its own vessels, but "the idea of protection is implicit," one said. They said Soviet cargo ships bound for Kuwait in the past to unload arms and materiel for road delivery to Iraq were known to have sailed under escort. So far, none of the Soviet ships are known to have been attacked by Iran. Diplomats said they expected the chartered Soviet tankers to sail between Kuwait and Khor Fakkan on the United Arab Emirates (UAE) coast a short way outside the Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Gulf.