The relative peace in the Middle East between the Jews and Muslims may be short-lived. Iran rejected a EU demand to stop building a heavy-water nuclear reactor, and warned the United States Feb. 13 “not to play with fire” by repeatedly threatening Tehran. A nuclear Iran would pose immediate danger to Israel and would pose a serious threat to United States security.

Heavy and light-water reactors can be used to enrich uranium, but getting weapons-grade material from a light-water reactor is far more difficult. The fact that Iran refuses to give up it’s facilities and seems bent on possessing nuclear weapons makes our mission in Iraq appear all the more urgent.

Iran is not the most stable country in the world. The government states one thing and people believe another. How can that not end badly? Where does that leave our Israeli allies? With no alternative, I say. If Iran does indeed build a nuclear weapons program, which some think is still four years away, Israel would have no choice but to stop them. How? By destroying the reactors, thus removing nuclear capability from their hands.

Israel and Iran do not have the most civil relationship. If the Iranian leaders did possess a nuclear weapon and felt as if they were going to be removed from power, what is stopping them from launching a missile and taking out Tel’Aviv? In their mind, what do they have to lose?

The question is, what do we do about it? Do we allow Europe to continue trying to talk them down? I say yes. We have a bad reputation in the Middle East and quite frankly they are scared of us invading them. If the EU can talk them down from their suicidal plan, perhaps we can all be saved from another major conflict in the Middle East. If not, I doubt it will be the U.S. who makes the first strike against them.

The UN seems to have lost all ability to act on anything. We have our hands tied in Iraq. So we cannot strike first, the EU cannot and the UN will not. Who else is left to stop them? Israel. Israel has to strike first; a nuclear Iraq is not an option for them. God help us all if diplomacy fails.

Steve Funaro is a senior history major and a member of the College Republicans at NKU. You can contact Steve at SFunaro@gmail.com.