Media Talk: Diplomacy vs the military approach in Iran

Join us as we discuss whether diplomacy still has a role to play in trying to break the Iranian nuclear deadlock or if a preventive military action is now the only effective option.

There is a growing likelihood that Iran could manufacture its first nuclear bomb sometime over the next half decade.

Plans to prevent this happening are already being drawn on both sides of the Atlantic as well as in Israel. There is a significant possibility of western or Israeli military intervention.

A coalition of British organisations, which includes the former UK ambassador to Iran, Sir Richard Dalton, released a report which says that the military approach, favoured in Washington and Tel-Aviv, will lead to disastrous consequences.

It argues that the parties must be prevailed upon to give diplomacy a chance.

But will diplomacy alone convince Tehran to drop its nuclear weapons programme?

Sir Richard Dalton – British Ambassador to Iran 2002-2006, previously Ambassador to Libya and Consul General in Jerusalem.

Paul Hughes – former Reuters correspondent in Tehran.

Mike Gayle – Iran watcher at the US Embassy political section.

Moderated by Bronwen Maddox – Chief Foreign Commentator for The Times.