To James Hacksworth,UK

If Israel and US are nuclear armed maniac why have not they nuked Iran already. It is true that Iran is coward enough not to use the weapon, but they can give it to proxy terrorist-maniacs right now living in your home town. Please expect the terrorists to disregard your kind and precious sympathy..

Dave, Rutland,

Paul of Waterloo what planet are you on mate? The minute that Israel suspects that Iran is on the point of making a nuclear weapon, it will bomb Iran; result = 3rd World War.

Ben Genevieve, Perth, Western Australia

Ahmadinejad says he will wipe Israel off the map according to the translation of the Iranian state controlled broadcasting company..

Israel has the bomb, but won't even admit it has it.
It has never threatened to wipe any country off the map.

Seems to me to be a significant difference.

W. E. Brand, Alexandria, , VA

Does nobody ever stop to think that maybe a nuclear armed Iran could be a good thing for the West? See if they want to join Nato, then we got all their nucleur weapons for FREE!

paul, waterloo,

Why don't we try this? The US should, unilaterally, inform the world that from 1st january 2008, it will confiscate, without compensation, any oiltankers, and their cargo, leaving any Iranian port. It will also bomb (requiring one cruise missile) any Iranian pipeline exporting oil. Fuss inside the UN? OK, the US should leave the UN. (Get the picture..we mean business) Couple of awkward months..oil at $150, lots of hot air from Tehran, Moscow, Beijing. But how long will the present regime in Iran remain in place. The alternative...Bombs on Iran, bombs in Times Square, Trafalgar Square, thousands of soldiers committed. Nice.

David, London,

Ahmadinejad and Bush are mirror images of each other, each trying to please Big Daddy and needling him at the same time. Both are poseurs. All we can hope for is at least some rationality and containment from their respective advisors.

Julia Iskandar, London, England

I fear the biggest divisions in the West are between governments and voters. I sense no general support for the hard line being taken against Iran and dismay at the prospect of militairy action based again on "intelligence".

JE, New Malden, UK

Russia and China will do everything they can to preserve their interest in Iran's oil. That's why they're giving us a hard time. If Iran is attacked, they'll probably provide them with defensive weapons. With Russian and Chinese support, Iran will have their nuclear weapons. Why do you think Ahmadinejad is always photographed smiling? I even remember Mr putin saying "they (Iran) are not scared", during his recent visit to Tehran.

Mohammed, London, UK

A nuclear armed Iran is the only hope for peace in the middle east, I hope they get the bomb and soon. Israel are the threat and Iran is surrounded by the nuclear armed maniac countries of Israel & US occupied middle east. Good luck to Tehran.

James Hacksworth, London,

Who are you to decide which countries are labeled a threat or "terrorist" and incapable of having nuclear arms, if in fact that is the case. The facts are Iran is not violating any NPT terms. The US sat back and allowed Israel to obtain over 400 nuclear warheads. Israel is not a member of the NPT, while illegally "colonizing" Syrian and Palestinian lands.
Who are the terrorists?
Not to mention Pakistan. The US puppet is exploding in their face. The US is currently involved in two illegal invasions. What has Iran done? Don't fall into the neocon/zionist propaganda.
Americans are not going to sit back and watch their hard earned tax dollars go towards another LIE!

KC, boston, ma

I'm sorry. But who just wrote this article? This is something you could expect to find in a sophmore junior college journalism class.

Does this so-called author have any idea of the inner machinations of Iranian domestic policy? If so, what are they?

Jorge, roseville , CA

Good. Time for the west to make a stand. In the end why should free, democratic nations have to rely on the support of communist China and an increasingly autocratic Russia to stop the danger that a nuclear armed Iran would present. It also demonstrates that even if the United Nations security council or the United Nations in general once served a purpose, it has long since passed.

David Lea-Smith, Edinburgh, U.K.