Iran was the US and west best friend until the pro-Israel and anti-Muslim policy ruled the west mindset. Ahmadejad is just the kind of gur spewing fire, he will be finished by his own countrymen. Dont forget hes elected in a fair election, democraticaly elected leader in the MisEast, no political purges, no gulag in Iran. The west mindset calls him a dictator or madmen, but the US still lives on the 'bogey-man' efect fuel by fear, susupicion, that lead to hate and war.
His antiIsrael has more to do with Israel policy and disrespect for international law. The US blindly beleives my friends enemy is my enemy right down to Armegadon whatever hapens.
9/11 got nothing to do with Iranians, never attacked its neighbours, US under Bush have generated more death and destruction.
Give diplomacy a chance. War is no solution.

Masyus, Batam, Indonesia

Diplomacy unfortunately does not work with radicals that have one purpose in mind and that is to destroy america,anyway that they possibily can.We have a choice true,to act now or wait until they gain more strength.Which ever means we so choose will result in mass death and destruction at one point and time.The question is simply,self concern or that of the futures concern.I say fot the sake of the future we must be brave enough to make the sacrifice now while its not yet to late.

Paul Arbitelle, Naugatuck, Ct.

As I read the news on the internet, I understand why people do not trust the U.S. government anymore. The people of the United States where tricked into hysteria to go to war against an enemy that is determined to destroy us. This I do understand very well. Islamist extremism only has one agenda. I don't believe that the Bush administration was counting on a proxy war with Iran. But that is precisely what we have on our hands. The U.S. Army has enough evidence to believe that the Iranian military has it's hands in weaponary being used against our troops. If Iran was more transparent with their nuclear program, I would believe them. Instead, I fear the threat of portable nuclear bombs being detonated all across Europe after being delivered into the hands of Islamist extremists. Iran should accept the generous nuclear handouts being offered to them and begin to develop their infrastructure for the good of their people instead of the games they play. They already have fine Russian weapons

Greg, Detroit, USA / MI

Regarding the comments made by Minister Kouchner, such individuals should be aware of the fact that in today’s times, having entered a ‘nuclear age’ and where politics and diplomacy are ever so complicated, irresponsible remarks about war could spark animosity. The issue is not about how certain phrases or gestures can be interpreted, but rather about which words should and should not be used. Secondly, the DG of the IAEA, by not consulting the powers currently in discussions with Iran yet intervening himself, has made a terrible mistake. Not only is the IAEA’s position weakened, as they may not find support in the negotiating countries, but it also naturally undermines the authority of those that are trying to make diplomatic headway. Finally, it is positive to see that France, part of the “European Coalition” against Iran, is being more aggressive than previously; the suspension of investments in Iran is feasible, but is demanding that their nuclear programme is revealed? May be not.

Marcin Roth, London , UK

There is no doubt that Iran's nuclear project poses threat to the world. If we avail ourselves benefit of hindsight we'd realize that upscale diplomacy and not war is what the international community needs to deal with the terror called Iran and all her allies. But it's quite curious that the US more than any other is losing sleep over Iranian. What an irony that those who live by the sword dread the mere glitter of another's sword. The US-world's self-imposed police has no moral right to challenge Iran's nuclear pre-occupation. US and fellow war-mongers should perform self-cleansing too and let diplomacy lay the matter to rest. No State should be reasonably expected to be off-guard for as long as the US deems it a birthright to invade any perceived aggressor.

More importantly, it is hoped White House doesn't see this as another fortuitous premise to unleash terror in the Middle-East again.

Abimbola , Lagos, Nigeria

Iran better develope nuclear weapons if it wants to avoid being attacked! The U.S. will attack for the same reason it attacked Iraq, oil. I don't mean they want to take Iran's oil, they want to stop its production. That is what they did in Iraq and now gas prices in the U.S. have more than doubled since the start of that "war". So the U.S. will attack, Iranian oil production will stop, oil will go up to $100 a barrel, the Saudis will be happy, the big oil companies will be happy, the muslims will be screwed, and the Zionists in Isreal will have one less threat to their power in the region. If you really want to figure out what's going on in the world, just follow the money!

Joe, Lake Orion, Michigan, USA

The Bush Administration want War and that ALL TO IT, not for Oil or money but for Glory just like the Ceasar in Roman Empire. It doesn't matter million of people dies and homeless, just for their personal resume and glory only in the name of democracy and the American people and value. What value are Bush trying to imposed on others.

Caii Lin, Singapore, Singapore

Israel is generating America´s anti-Iran agenda. It will be Israel, not Washington, which decides when Iran - not if - will be attacked by American forces. No US Senator dare defy Israel. Israel got America to attack Saddam, her biggest enemy; Iran and Syria will follow. When America finally wakens up to why they have needlessly lost 4 000 young soldiers attacking an Iraq which was no threat to America, then the neoconservatives inside the Beltway had better get their Israeli passports out. They will be needing them.

Adrian Gutman, Sheffield, Yorks

First, If the U.S.A. is after controle of the oil fields, then why is it none of the oil from iraq is finding it's way to the U. S.. Second, there are nowhere near one million people dead in Iraq from the war. and most of the ones that are dead are by the hands of the iraq's. Third, are you people truelly so pathetic that you don't see the result of an iran with a nulear bomb? This country is ran by the same man who denies the holocaust and says israel needs to be wiped off the face of the map. Frankly, I would prefer that the iranians take care of this man themselves. And I definatly don't want the U.S. to be involved in another war. But one way or another, for the security of the middle east, That man needs to go

althtnmore, Reading, U.S.A.

My view is why the east thinks it's superior to the west. we are all created equal.

dawn, beaverton, oregon

Many people I know who do follow current events are appalled at even a hint that we might use the same falsehoods to goad the US into another bogus war. These years have destroyed lives of Iraqi people and our troops in a war built on lies. Our country's integrity is gone. At this point I am not alone among people who are questioning whether there might be a better place to live. What a sad era.

Mary Wiese, Chicago, Illinois

Although insanely conservative, Iran is an Islamic Republic. Unlike Chavez's Venezuela, or Kim's North Korea, Iran's government is not the whim of one man. There is plenty of room for argument in the current iranian political establishment. Unlike elsewhere, diplomacy has a chance concerning Iran. But first, you would have to learn their 'language', meaning the Quran. Mohamed's book is as good, or as bad, as any, when it comes to revealed word. Christians, people of the book along with muslims and jews, should be able to get it. Give diplomacy a chance, they, the iranians, aren't blind to arguments.

Rodrigo , Cochabamba, Bolivia

The Bush/Cheney Administration is at it again. They have not learnt lessons from the Iraq quagmire. Now they are creating "facts" to fool the American people, again, to start another invasion. This time around the World must stand up and force this "cowboy" regime to face the real facts. International conflicts are solved by diplomacy, not by war.
Clearly, Iran is no Saddam-controlled Iraq. An attack on Iran will unleash cataclysmic and unpredictable forces and uncontrollable events. The Bush/Cheney regime's Iraq invasion has killed hundreds of thousands of people, and brought abject misery to millions of others. The Bush/Cheney regime must be held accountable, and it's war-mongering must be stopped.

Kolin Barnes, San Francisco, CA

It takes at least two parties to negotiate diplomatically. Implicit in that is the possibility of a deal all parties can live with.
Given the fact that the Iranian regime takes every opportunity to state firmly that it will not be dissuaded from developing "peaceful" nuclear capabilities, and that it is doing so as quickly as it can, and given that the western democracies do not believe that Iran will not develop a nuclear weapons capability, I cannot see how negotiating more intensely will break the deadlock. Iran reiterates all the time that Israel must be destroyed, take him at his word.
This is not analygous to the Iraq situation in that Iran itself proclaims that it is developing nuclear capabilities, after keeping it secret for 18 years, and in more recent times this has been verified. The analogy is closer to Hitler in the 30's, right down to the mindless anti-semitism being spewed by Ahmadinejad. Some of the comments here are deserving of the Neville Chamberlin award.

Kingors, Newport Beach, CA, USA

Diplomacy is the best policy to solve the problem if everyone believes/trust each other too. The U.S. maybe right to let Iran stop for their Nuclear ambition due to some spoken words of Iran politicians that they will wipe off Israel in the map and that they support of spreading extremism internationally such as Hisbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Palestine, Shiite militants in Iraq and Afganistans and some parts in the world. Let's not be biased that all of them have common mistake. Iran has the right of Nuclear Energy and not only Iran but to any country in the world who wants it - provided it is being used properly, but Iran is simply dogmatic hence if they are really developing for peaceful purposes why they did not open to public their Nuclear facilities if they are not really making/developing Nuclear Bomb? It is their great honor if they show/open to the world that they are on the way to Nuclear technology, but you know what they are doing hence even the IAEA is not allowed to enter.

arnold, agusan, philippines

Before people accuse anyone of being in the US illegally, think about all the land the Americans of European descent illegally stole from the Native Americans. No white person has the moral authority to accuse anyone of anything. If anything, you should apologize for the way your ancestors behaved.

gianluca790, waterloo, belgium

Many liberals seem to forget the world was having in 1938, these same type of conversations about a Mr Hitler and Germany. We all know what happened with appeasement. Millions had to die. One would think the world learned its lesson. Unfortunately there are still tthose bleeding hearts arguing that Iran wants nuclear technology for peaceful energy development purposes. But why else would a country like Iran swimming in Oil and gas reserves want nuclear technology other then to develope nuclear weapons? One can also argue that we lived through a 50 year cold with a nuclear armed Soviet Union, why not Iran? Well the Soviets were rational men seeking military and political dominance of the world not religious fanatics wanting to spread their religious beliefs, seeking the destruction of other states and ultimately marterdom if it will help their cause. Wake up everybody before it's too late!

George Mavromates, St Augustine , USA FL

The problem is - everybody knows that politicians lie.
Iranian, American, Europen - they're all politicians. They lie when they think they can get away with it, and use spin doctors when they fear that they might get caught with outright fabrications. President Ahmadinejad says he's pursuing nuclear power, not nuclear weapons. He also says that there was no Holocaust. Bush claims Ahmadinejad is trying to develop bombs - but wait, didn't we hear this same empty story about Saddam? The last time we fell for Bush's story, we got embroiled in a war that has killed an untold number of people - estimates vary from hundreds of thousands to well over a million - and squandered more money than the US will earn in decades. The problem is, he might be right - but he's used up our trust, along with all those lives. Maybe Chicken Little is right this time.

David, Plymouth, NH, USA

Here we go again after killig 1.2 m iraqi people on the bases that the country is stockpiling nuclear weapons ''turned out to be all lies'' they are not ashamed to use the same argument to wage ware against another country and kill more inocent people.

J Rahe, East Yorkshire, UK

The absurd notion that the liberal media and several of your responders seem to endorse is the eventual path of Irans nuclear developement to achieve its fruition which will be an all out nuclear strike on Isreal and the arming of terrorists regimes around the globe with the aim of killing Americans and stopping American interests on a global scale. People please wake up, this media pushed political correctness has so clouded the U.S peoples vision to the point that we are having debates over whether to allow ILLEGAL people in this country to have citizenship and whether we need to assert our nation and its resources to do ALL we can do to stop TERRORISTS whether they be state leaders or glorified gangsters, BEFORE they infiltrate our society and cause a major catastrophe. 20 years ago the answers to these questions were so concrete that the questions didnt need to be asked. What has happened to the U.S.A?? Will we wake up before we are destroyed from within?

Chris Popwell, Lillian, USA / Alabama

I find Mr. Sasso's comment on the "crazy" use of nukes by the US more than a shade disingenuous, a word which could be applied to most anti-American tirades. Sound ethical objections exist concerning the use of the A-bomb, but one might well point out that it ill becomes any person of Italian extraction to decry another nation's insanity during WWII. As usual, it appears that "war crimes" by definition are acts committed by the US.

John Dayton, Adelphi, MD

If anybody bothered to study the NPT, they would discover that the so called 5 declared nuclear powers, were suppose to eventually disarm and give their nukes, in return for the rest of the world not developing them. Hence the West is entirely hypocritical to demand a curbing of Iran's ambitions, when they themselves have not done a single action to fulfill their NPT obligations. The only nation that has been crazy enough to to use nukes has been the USA. It has also recently been the menace that has committed war crimes and aggression in the Middle East. Based on this record, its the USA who need to be curbed!!

Luigi Sasso, London, United Kingdom

I thank Ms Maddox for her article. Regardless of how long some think Iran is from a nuclear bomb and regardless how many people feel that the US is a rogue nation, the preparations are being made to attack Iran's nuclear and military facilities. Tough economic sanctions may yet curb Iran and may even cause a gov't overthrow. In any case, we must talk about what's happening before a massive air strike occurs. Now is the time to peacefully but forcefully curb Iran's intentions. The US/Israel do not need approval or help to attack Iran.

Robert Severin, Jefferson, Colorado, USA

The Iranian nukes scare is pure puffery. Iran could stop all nuclear development tomorrow and the US empire would just find another excuse to attack. Getting rid of WMD didn't protect Iraq from the US/UK aggression, in fact it only made the criminal invasion surer because safer for its perpetrators.

Richard Cheeseman, Wellington, New Zealand

total nonsense, Iran is by common consent nowhere near capable to produce any kind of weapon, why doesn't the author detail a similar account of Israel's illegal nuclear programme? or is she just a hypocrite?

Akram, London,

I find it extraordinary that Newspapers who championed War against Iraq - proving decisive in stifling public opposiiton - with their fairytales of Hitler/Saddam and nuclear mushroom clouds; with what we now know of a defenceless sanction-ravaged Iraq, are now eagerly reporting unattributed, unsubstantiated US proaganda as unassailable truth. It is, frankly, sickening that a war which has killed over a million requires yet more foreign blood be spilt to feed the American war machine's thirst for control of an oil supply. At the same time, we piously weep for the loss of a single British child in Portugal. Life is precious, isn't it?

Robin Armstorng, Northampton, Northants

Ms Maddox appears to take it for granted that US motives in its dealings with Iran are Simon-pure, but I think that this is an assessment which is increasingly difficult to support - and in fact very few people do - witness the BBC survaey which showed that most of the world now regard the US as one of the most dangerous nations on the planet.

John Reid, Wellington, New Zealand