Done with Iran

For years, Iran has consistently resisted international attempts to curb its nuclear program and now it is conducting missile tests. Tehran has armed terrorists in Iraq, Hamas militants and its allies in Lebanon as well.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is combative, anti-Semitic and undiplomatic, to say the least.

Perhaps the United States and its allies have had enough. They have bolstered their military defenses in the Persian Gulf in recent months.

Arab allies in the region have bought Patriot anti-missile batteries and air- and missile-defense radars. As one senior U.S. official told the Wall Street Journal, "President Ahmadinejad has been the best recruiting officer for U.S. Central Command in the Gulf region."

Having sought diplomacy with Iran initially, the Obama administration is pressing for new international sanctions against Tehran. Gulf allies such as Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar are linking their defenses with the United States, the Journal reported.

Gen. David Petraeus, head of U.S. Central Command, said recently that countries in the region have agreed to share radar data with the United States and have increased weapons purchases, including advanced fighter planes and new Patriot batteries.

The United States has deployed to the Gulf two Navy cruisers equipped with sophisticated radar and ballistic-missile defenses, the general noted.

Besides the nuclear program and missile tests, the United States and its Gulf allies are concerned with Iranian-supported extremists in Iraq, Gaza and elsewhere in the region.

The Iranian government has turned aside diplomatic overtures to resolve problems. That is why U.S. military defenses in the region have increased of late.