Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned that military action against Iran would be “a real disaster” and that the Middle East could explode if the international community did not handle the many conflicts in the region very carefully. Though Kofi Annan chose not to comment on the UN Security Council’s demand to suspend uranium enrichment, he reiterated that dialogue was the only way forward. He also disclosed that he had told Iranian leaders that transparency was the best option. He urged Tehran to allow UN inspectors full access in order to reassure the world that it was only interested in peaceful use of nuclear technology1.

• 1. Edith M. Lederer, “Annan Warns Against Conflict With Iran,” Washington Post, March 21, 2008, at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/20/AR200803...