THERE is nothing new in Israel's threatening military action against Iran but of late matters appear to have taken a more ominous turn. On Thursday, Defence Minister Ehud Barak told Radio Israel that non-diplomatic options were “on the table” and his government did not need approval from other powers — a reference to western opposition to a military strike. The war threat coincided with the European Union's decision to tighten the squeeze on Tehran and blacklist 180 Iranian firms and individuals. The EU decision follows sanctions by Britain, leading to what can only be called a non-diplomatic response by Iran in the form of the mob attack on the British embassy. The mob action provoked denunciation by the EU as well, with European foreign ministers saying that Brussels considered “these actions against the UK as actions against the EU as a whole”.

Like any other country, Iran has every right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. But it is Tehran's uranium-enrichment programme which has aroused suspicion in Israel and the western world. The western opposition to Iran's nuclear ambitions appears to be morally wrong because the West looks the other way when it comes to Israel's nuclear arsenal. Whatever the case, Iran must realise the consequences of both its nuclear programme and a high-level confrontation with the West. While America and the EU may be conscious of the damage to western interests from a larger conflict involving Israel and Iran, the Likud government seems to have no such qualms. The loser will ultimately be Iran and the region in which it is situated. Iran would do well to tone down its anti-West rhetoric and resume talks with the P-5 plus Germany instead of insisting that sanctions be lifted before talks, suspended now for nearly a year, can begin in earnest.