As sanctions are merely the cover while the Bush/Blair united front gears up to another attack, I know they will not work. What they will do is more harm to the ordinary man in the street. The greedy ruling elite (recognise this picture anyone?) will ensure that hardship and shortages never happen to them. And then what? Invade Iran. Well we have invaded Iraq, huge unspecified numbers of ordinary citizens, just like you or I, are suffering misery, hardship and the smell of death all around them. We removed Sadam but have done nothing effective to give the people a decent, safe life. Why should Iran be any different? Sarah Marquis, London

Iran threatened on Tuesday to attack Israel in response to any "evil" act by the United States. I don't know who put the 'mad' in Ahmadinejad, but he has repeated the threat to attack and destroy Israel so many times you'd swear he thought the rest of the world was hard of hearing. Later this year Iran plans to have 3,000 centrifuges in place, which will enable her to make a nuclear bomb within a year. In this context any use of force by Israel or her allies aimed at destroying Iran's nuclear capability, or overthrowing the regime, or both - and by any means necessary - could not possibly be illegal. Michael Petek, Brighton

I have a radical idea. Why don't we let a democratically elected government do what it wants? We haven't forcefully intervened to stop North Korea, Israel, India and Pakistan develop nuclear weapons, so why Iran? The "they are more likely to use it" argument is erroneous. Currently Iran and the West are involved in an politicised version of "Yo Mamma" style insults. If we stopped biting then Ahmedinejad would have to start carrying out some of his manifesto promises (helping the poor) rather than bating the easily spooked Western governments. Darla Danya, London

Sanctions in the past have never really worked, but what other ways can be used to maintain peace? Perhaps we should teach them to play cricket. Bernard Parke, Guildford

History tells us that sanctions never work, as there will always be unscrupulous traders who will do anything for a quick buck. We only have to look at examples of South Africa, Iraq and Zimbabwe. Worst of all, the sanctions harm the ordinary people in the countries affected more than the elite, who can always pay a premium to obtain whatever they wish. Vinay Mehra, Purley, Surrey

Israel's a responsible neighbour and a real peace lover, so naturally the Israelis have a God-given right to nuclear weapons and should not be questioned or have any inspections for any sort. It's the only country in the Middle East to possess enough weaponry to blast the region 100 times over. Interesting irony there. I think we've got to wake up and smell the coffee, through objectivity and not prejudice. It's interesting how most of these commentators have never been to Iran. I'll tell you one thing, they've probably got more democracy than our despotic allies in other Middle Eastern countries. Iranians are open to reason providing you are willing to talk and not command them. Frank White, Richmond, Surrey

This issue could possibly be one of the most important in our time, second only to global warming. It appears that the gap between Muslim and Christian is widening. Unfortunately, every government has its "radicals" which, together with nuclear weapon capability, makes for a very volatile world indeed. However, we have intelligence on both sides and this issue should be resolved by peaceful and lawful methods. People are now commenting that a religious war may be ahead, but really, how could that happen? It would mean these people breaking the commandments and laws of their god. Allison Whyte, Barnstaple

As long as Iran has oil, sanctioning just hurts us. They have oil and we need it. Find some other source of energy and their stranglehold on the rest of the world will be gone. Kim Righetti, Upland, California

Why are Iran, Israel, Pakistan and India rogue states [see comment below] but not the UK, France, Russia or the USA? Nuclear proliferation exists because of the willingness of France and Russia to sell nuclear reactors to questionable regimes. Perhaps they should be the target of sanctions. And what about Brazil and Argentina and most importantly the slave state of North Korea? Preventing Iran is probably a good idea due to the virulent anti-semitism of its leaders and its ties to genocidal Islamic terror. The Government should act before its too late. Jonathan Lowenstein, London

The funny part of Iran developing nuclear bomb is that next-door countries like Russia, China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia are least bothered or concerned. It is the USA and Britain half way round the world and having no diplomatic or economic links that are jumping up and down with fright. Can someone give a reason why? Khalid Mian, Gillingham