WITH post-war Iraq still a long way from finding the stability the invasion was intended to bring, the gathering crisis over Iran's nuclear aspirations is a matter of grave concern.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw warned yesterday that the threat of international sanctions against Iran is on the table.

While such talk may still be premature, the only remaining option, if sanctions have no effect, is military force - and the global implications of that must not be underestimated.

If the Iraq war taught us anything - other than to question intelligence claims more carefully - it is that any action must be taken on the basis of broad international consensus.

While it is important to strive for nuclear non-proliferation and to enhance international security, it has to be done in a way that is seen to be fair.

While Tony Blair contemplates a nuclear powered future at home, can we really deny another country the option of another source of energy?

Even now, we find ourselves torn over whether Britain was right to join the American invasion of Iraq and we do not pretend that the questions over Iran's intentions are any easier to answer.

But the Iraq experience means that the people of Britain will find it much harder to swallow military action the next time their government proposes it.

We must simply hope that it is a proposition which does not need to be made because, with so much at stake, diplomacy has to be the priority.