THE United Nations is about to be tested. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad cannot suggest that Israel should be wiped off the map. The thought of one country wiping out the innocent civilians and children of another is abhorrent.

But equally, after the creation of a dire mess in Iraq, it seems unlikely an out-going Tony Blair could get military action against Iran passed by the British Parliament, particularly as US President George Bush's popularity and powers diminish with every passing day.

The UN's paralysis over Saddam Hussein created a vacuum into which the US was all too eager to be sucked. That failure cannot happen again.

It was reassuring to hear the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan express "dismay" over President Ahmadinejad's remarks. He must now take that message forcefully to Tehran.

It would be helpful if other Arabic states - several of whom have official relationships with Israel - would break their silence and condemn the radical leader of Iran; it would also be helpful if the West really did put a long-term Palestinian settlement at the top of its agenda.