Of all the protagonists in favour of sanctions, the lead has been given by Israel and the US, who has been following the Israeli lead in the Middle East with disastrous consequences for them, the region, and the world.

We are all familiar with former Israeli Premier Ariel Sharon's advice to US President George W. Bush in his unprovoked attack against Iraq, which has brought terrible tragedy on the head of the Iraqis, who are merrily killing each other and some times an odd US soldier. This tragedy shows no sign of going away so long as President Bush occupies the White House.

Taking a cue from the US attack of Iraq, tiny Israel launched an unprovoked attack against defenseless Lebanon on the pretext of cleaning Lebanon of Hezbollah fighters. Like her protector the US, Israel suffered a humiliating defeat and had to retreat from Lebanon. The US is totally stuck in Iraq.

The Lebanese crisis has brought to the fore the Security Council of the UN, who after much foot dragging by the US, adopted a cease-fire resolution. This has been followed by resolution 701 of the Security Council on the strength of which a Peace Force, which is estimated to go up to 15,000 has started to arrive in Lebanon.

Large contingents from France and Italy are on the ground. They have the huge task of maintaining peace and help in the reconstruction of Lebanon. By month long fierce bombardment by Israeli military planes large parts have been turned into rubble. The Lebanese, who had fled their homes by the hundreds of thousands, have been returning home only to find that there is not much left except rubble.

Israeli threats to Iran on the nuclear question remind me of 1981, when the OIC annual Foreign Ministers Conference had just ended and I, as acting secretary general of that organization, was seeing off foreign ministers at the airport. Suddenly the walls of the VIP lounge shook violently and we thought that there was an earthquake. We learnt later that Israel had carried on air strikes to totally demolish Iraqi nuclear facilities, not far from Baghdad. Israel appears to be goading her mentor the US to allow her to carry on a similar operation near Tehran.

The US has been operating through the UN. Thus after much haggling the deadline of August 31 was set. Now comes the question of economic sanctions. According to reports, veto-wielding members of the UN, China, and Russia do not appear to favour such drastic action against Iran, with whom they have multifarious ties, among which is access to Iran's vast oil reserves.

The campaign against Iran by the US and the world media, which is largely controlled by the Jewish lobby, has reached a near climax. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad has been crying hoarse that his nuclear program is purely for peaceful purposes. The Head of the International Nuclear Energy Baradei after his inspection tour of Iranian nuclear facilities has given a clean bill of health. This is one reason that the US has not shown much enthusiasm to work through this Vienna based organization.

The world anxiously waits. Is Iran going to be the next member of the nuclear club. Israel is very uncomfortable by the fact the there is an Islamic bomb in the possession of Pakistan. Pakistan is not exactly in the same geographical region as Iran and Israel and in any case Israel's boss the US has strong hold on Pakistan. Iran has often taken hostile position against the US since the overthrow of the monarchy in the late seventies.

There is sometimes talk here of the Greater Middle East project launched by President Bush a few years ago. That project has really not made any headway. A map was bandied about the project. Israel was very prominently displayed and a large part of Turkey was gobbled up by a Kurdistan.

The Middle East pot is always boiling. The Iranian nuclear program has only added a new dimension to that boiling pot.

Arshad-uz Zaman is a former Ambassador and Acting Secretary General, OIC.