The Bush administration is turning up the heat on Iran. In October President Bush said Iran's nuclear program raised the specter of World War III. Then Vice President Cheney warned of "serious consequences" if Iran stayed on course as a "terror-supporting state." The heated rhetoric is widely seen as calculated to raise the specter of military action against Iran. Indeed, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad calls the United States an international bully that's keeping Iraq violent to justify continued occupation. He also vows to maintain Iran's nuclear development program, which he says is not for creating weapons. But many observers -- Israelis particularly -- see the effort as a grave threat, prompting some U.S. hawks to advocate a preemptive strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. Other Iran-watchers say military action could further endanger U.S. forces fighting next door in Iraq. They urge the administration to aid dissidents rather than counter Iran by military force.

Peter Katel is a CQ Researcher contributing writer who previously reported on Haiti and Latin America for Time and Newsweek and covered the Southwest for newspapers in New Mexico. He has received several journalism awards, including the Bartolomé Mitre Award for drug coverage from the Inter-American Press Association and awards for investigative and interpretive reporting from the New Mexico Press Association. He holds an A.B. in university studies from the University of New Mexico.