August 9, 1987

LEAD: THE crisis in the Persian Gulf is deepening, assuming more than ever the character of a religious war by Iran against fellow Moslems. Last week it shook the Islamic world, threatening many conservative Arab regimes.

LEAD: A LARGE private lake south of the nuclear power plant in Shoreham that residents have tried to protect from encroachment and pollution for almost 40 years is being threatened, they say, by a proposed town house development, setting off a classic Long Island confrontation.

LEAD: ALL around him, there is youth that can never be his again. The first baseman is 26 years old, the third baseman 27, the rookie pitcher just 23. But Tommy John does not seem out of place as he sits among them, dressing, talking, eating in the visitors' clubhouse at Tiger Stadium when the day is done.

LEAD: Revelations in the Iran-contra hearings, including details of amateurism and bungling, have shaken the confidence of foreign officials in American secret operations, Government officials say. They add that the disclosures have prompted the intelligence services of some friendly nations to reduce the amount of information shared with the United States.

LEAD: Brooklyn will edge closer to the 21st century with two planned health facilities, one at a hospital and the other at a university, that are designed to incorporate the latest advances in medical science.