Enough Sabre Rattling in the Middle East, Please

In the latest of the tit for tat statements and actions that have characterized the Middle East in recent weeks, the BBC reports that Mr Ehud BarakEhud Barak, Israel's defence minister has warned that his country would be ready to act against Iran if it felt threatened. Speaking in Tel Aviv on July 10, Mr Barak said Israel had proved in the past that it wouldn't hesitate to act when its vital security interests were at stake.

He spoke against a background of Iran's recent tests of the 2,000 km range Shahab-3 missile that could reach targets in Israel. The tests were carried out at this time probably because Iran fears that the United States and Israel may launch a series of preemptive attacks against it in order to derail Iran's fledgling nuclear program.

Mr Barak qualified the threat by adding that diplomatic solutions should be pursued before other options were taken up.

"Currently the focus is international sanctions and vigorous diplomatic activity, and these avenues should be exhausted," he said.

Secretary of State Condoleezza RiceSecretary of State Condoleezza Rice declared that the US had increased its security in the region and Iran should not be "confused" about US capabilities.

Israel has responded to the missile tests by putting on display the Eitam aircraft that has sophisticated intelligence-gathering systems to spy on Iran. In recent weeks both Israel and Iran have been testing and displaying their military hardware, each asserting its ability to defend itself.

It will be recalled that the Israeli air force recently carried out a large-scale exercise over the Mediterranean - regarded by many observers as a dress rehearsal for an attack against Iran's nuclear facilities.

Mr Barak spoke of the "potential for accords, particularly with the Palestinians and the Syrians", but stressed that the situation was very complex. He said that Israel "must work towards an accord - but if not, then we must strike our enemy when it is required."

"The responses of our adversaries must be taken into account. Hamas and Hezbollah and the Syrians and the Iranians - there is activity all around us. And there exists a potential for confrontation."

The USA and Israel are convinced that Iran's uranium enrichment program constitutes an existential threat to Israel. They reject Iranian claims that its nuclear program is purely for power generation.

Western leaders have been trying to convince Iran to stop enriching uranium, which it has continued doing despite sanctions from the UN and the European Union.

The bottom line is that the threat of a dangerous conflict in the Middle East is higher than ever before, unless a way is found to reconcile Iranian national aspirations with US-Israeli security concerns.