Israel:

Still, the air-waves have been abuzz with chatter with, 'bomb Iran before they bomb you' and when you have the 'Open and Free Internet' these days, keeping anything secret for too long would seem...er, TOO LONG!

One thing is for sure, a certain amount of brinkmanship is taking place. Iran is doing what it always does, blatant stonewalling. But whether it is because Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, can not get a definitive answer from the White House as to how strongly they will commit to helping and probably, more importantly, when, might just be the reason why some back-pedaling is taking place.

With the US elections just around the corner no American President wants to face more than one enemy at a time. But timing - or the lack of time, is exactly what counts at the moment. Israel runs the risk of not being prepared should Iran start attacking first, with whatever they have...and that...is probably something no-one wants to find out.

For Israel, it has been a long time coming. The 'I's' have it, but the first letter in both country's namesakes is resoundingly the only thing these old hate-ridden enemies have in common.

Rumours have been fuelled regarding Israel's readiness to go to war with a country hell bent on its nuclear ambitions, even though Iran stands staunchly by it's claims that the need for nuclear power is purely for the Iranian people's domestic use.

However - and one could be forgiven for getting the shakes while uttering this - nuclear power in the hands of an enemy who has made no bones about "wiping you off the face of the map" would send immediate convulsant shivers up anyone's pale yellow spine.

Michelle's clothes and witnessing them uncerimoniously offloading them on to the White House Lawn come November.

Of immeasureable concern to the Israelis should have been the great support for Ayatolla Ali Khamenei following the recent elections. A man who has the final say on how far Iran will go in it's quest against Israel.

This man seems to have a tunnel vision when it comes to fulfilling what he believes to be his country's destiny, and as
we know when it comes to spiritual goals, such fanatical minds
see their own deaths a worthwhile sacrifice in a greater cause.

All this should be grim news to Obama because in a way, had the elections passed and he had another term, he could afford the luxury of being more aggressive towards a regime that every politician in the USA knows has to be confronted at some point.

Iran is not North Korea, if it comes to the difference in that peninsular between total starvation and saying 'yes, sir, yes, sir three bags full, sir,' over-fed son of Kim Jong Il will not let himself or his people starve - well, possibly his people - and will take the easy way out.

Communism and radical fanatical fundermentalism are as far apart as the two chilly poles of our planet.

- Alan White -

When a scientist disappears in Iran, or in this case, clearly assassinated, what do you do for retaliation? Do you take it on the chin and wait till all your top 'servants' in the field of Atomic Energy are blown into the universe or, do you strike back at the people you presume to be the 'guilty' party.

While the Tehran Government condemned the attack blaming the "imperialist powers" of Israel and the U.S. for the involvement reiterating, "The enemies of Iran should know that they will not stop the scientific progress of Iran with such terrorist acts," said the Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi. "The agents of the imperialist powers were involved in this murder."

The Iranian Atomic Energy Agency spoke out saying the murdered scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan was "one of the servants of the nuclear industry", without specifying his exact position. "The people of Iran's chosen path of no return, and such devilish acts of the United States and Israel against our scientists will not have the slightest influence," it said in a statement.

However, the Iranian media are calling for blood in the form of attacks on political and military officials of the 'enemy' claiming that international law allows revenge for assassinations. The U.S. however said it condemns the violence and reiterated it had no involvement in the action.

- Anne Hunt -

EU foreign ministers had agreed late last year to work toward such a ban with the aim of blocking funding for Iran's nuclear program that some suspect is designed to develop nuclear weapons - a charge Tehran strongly denies.

The official Iranian news agency IRNA quoted a member of parliament as saying that pressure from "bullying nations" made the country "more resilient".

Several EU nations, notably Greece, are heavily dependent on Iranian oil so an embargo will hurt, and they have been pushing for an embargo to start later in the year, but it seems they have been swayed by a majority wanting swifter action.

China has however reiterated its opposition to unilateral action and stresses diplomacy is the way forward. “China is against one country putting their domestic laws above international law and placing unilateral sanctions on another country.

China, like many other countries, maintains regular, open and transparent economic and energy relations with Iran. These relations do not violate the regulations of the UN Security Council,” said foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei.

Iran denies military intent and refuses to stop enrichment of uranium for what it describes as civilian purposes. But it has responded to the threat of new U.S. and European sanctions with a series of military and diplomatic threats. It has test-fired new missiles, announced the production of its first nuclear-fuel rod, warned a U.S. aircraft carrier not to return to the Persian Gulf,  and threatened to shut the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, which analysts said could drive oil prices up by at least 50 percent.

Although Iran, which says it only seeks nuclear reactors for energy and research, has sharply increased its threats and military posturing against worldwide pressures, including U.S. sanctions targeting Iran's Central Bank in attempts to complicate its ability to sell oil. Iran is now playing brinkmanship games with human life. Convicting a USA born man, who's parents are both Iranian of spying for the enemy and working for the CIA, thus sentencing him to death.

For all the incalculable challenges facing Israel over the past decade it is the potential threat from a nuclear-armed Iran that has preoccupied the country's military plotters and planners.

It is this aim that has guided the development of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) over recent years. The IAF has purchased 125 advanced F-15I and F-16I warplanes, equipped with Israeli avionics and additional fuel tanks - tailor-made for long-range strike missions.

In addition, Israel has bought specialised bunker-busting munitions; developed large, long-endurance, unmanned aircraft; and much of its training has focused on long-range missions. Historically, Israel has a track-record of pre-emptive strikes against nuclear targets in the region. For a start it is a very long way from Israel to Iran. As a rough estimate many of the potential targets are some 1,500km (930 miles) to 1,800km (1,120 miles) from Israeli bases. Israeli warplanes have to get to Iran and, equally important, get back.In June 1981, Israeli jets bombed the Osirak reactor near the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

More recently, in September 2007, Israeli warplanes attacked a facility in Syria that Israel, the US and many experts believed was a nuclear reactor under construction.

However, a potential strike against Iran would be nothing like the attacks in Iraq and Syria. These were both against single targets, located above ground, and came literally out of the blue. As is the Israeli way.

An Israeli attempt to severely damage Iran's nuclear programme would have to cope with a variety of problems, including range, the multiplicity of targets, and the nature of those targets. Not to mention Iran's early warning system and it's array of missile defences.

Many of these problems are daunting in themselves, but when put together, they only compound the difficulties facing Israeli military planners. How to get there? Not forgetting how to get back, Iran may be having economic problems but it has a formidable group of fighter planes. But many are older types and Israel fighter jets would outnumber them two to one.

Iran would rely on ground to air missiles to defend it's many nuclear sites, some which are scattered in far away places, under a mountain and one buried well underground, bunker style. Without American support any attack might well fail and with an election coming up, no USA President or Presidential candidate would be dumb enough to give open support.

In this particular case, Israeli patience may just prove virtuous.