The Iranian nuclear program may easily be looked upon as one of the most critical issues in the recent past, after the US-led ‘war on terror’. As Iran has been cruising towards its nuclear dream overlooking the continuous demands of co-operation from the UN, Europe and America, one can without doubt perceive that the nine American warships carrying 17,000 personnel are not just steaming in for a summer vacation in the Persian Gulf.

While Iran claims that its nuclear program is strictly rooted in civilian energy purposes, but Western nations on the other are certain that Iran’s real purpose is to acquire a nuclear weapon in the guise of civil energy for Iran is moving quite quicker than expected in its nuclear program.

However, the situation has gone deep into the wires over Iran’s nuclear enrichment program, from neither Iran could hold back nor did International Atomic Energy Agency let the Islamic republic to get away with its continuous disobedience.

At the same time, the carriers in the Gulf appears to send a clear message to Iran that a military option is also available to Washington, especially when the United States has charged Iran with a proxy war against allied forces in Iraq.

Meanwhile, the US is considering taking further steps and a new set of sanctions on Iran over its continued failure to suspend its critical uranium enrichment, after a report issued by the IAEA yesterday revealed that Iran has again defied U.N. demands to suspend its nuclear enrichment programs. The US envoy to the UN, Zalmay Khalilzad, asserted,

What we have done so far is not enough. More needs to be done. The time has come to look at additional pressure... to bring about a change in Iranian calculations.

Will further sanctions make any difference?

Iran has firmly maintained that every sovereign nation must have the right to develop nuclear energy for civilian purpose. Previously, the world has twice witnessed that even the toughest political and economic sanctions are not enough to persuade Iran from its civil nuclear demand.

Could there be a military attack on Iran?

Though, an armed assault against Iran doesn’t make a sense at this point of time, as it would not only be hard to carry out, but harder to justify legally also. Even the US, already bogged down in Afghanistan and Iraq, would prefer to stay away from another mess-up.

Still, considering the current situation after, U.S. warships sailed toward Iran to begin an unannounced exercise in international waters, possibility of US military attack on Iraq cannot be ruled out completely as US has time and again proved analysts wrong in the past. It is understood that any such attack, if ordered, would target Iranian air bases, naval bases, missile facilities and command-and-control centres.

What will be the consequences?

At this point Iran is in a strong strategic juncture to ignore the outside pressure. In case the US and other western nations carry out any military action against Iran, it may obstruct the Strait of Hormuz, through which huge quantities of crude oil pass everyday and where the American warships guard.

Given Japan and Europe’s direct dependence on Iranian oil exports, it is important for US to understand that if the ’suspected’ collisions between US military squads and Special Force operations against ’suspected’ Iranian venture take place, America may again find itself diplomatically isolated.