'Iran could trigger nuclear arms race in Middle East'

Brzezinski seems to get it:

"If Iran is allowed to go forward, in self-defense or for a variety of reasons we could have half-a-dozen countries in the region and 20 or 30 more around the world, doing the same thing, just in case," he told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

But Scowcroft and another former U.S. national security adviser, Zbigniew Brzezinski, counseled against using military force to try to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

The United States and some of its allies fear that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons. Iran says its sensitive nuclear work is for civilian power purposes, not an atomic bomb.

Iran's denial remains plausible for several reason in my opinion. For one, why choose the complicated HEU route to A-bombs, when the simpler Pu-239 option is available?

Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey were among the countries that might want to keep up with Iran if it continues to enrich uranium, Scowcroft said. Enriched uranium can be used as fuel for power plants, and provide material for nuclear bombs if enriched much more.

Israel, an enemy of Iran's Islamic government, is already widely believed to have an arsenal of nuclear weapons.

Brzezinski, who served under former President Jimmy Carter, agreed that proliferation may be the greater threat from Iran's nuclear programs, rather than the danger that Tehran would make the "suicidal" move of firing the first bomb it built.

Hear, hear!