Deja vu is a common feeling when looking at the foreign policies of Britain and the United States.

Incredibly, we now find ourselves in the same position we were in only three years ago, when we were dragged into a brutal and illegal war by the now-proven lies of the US and UK governments.

The outcome of their adventure in Iraq has been to make the world a much more dangerous place and untold suffering has been inflicted on the people of Iraq.

That the US has even considered, let alone discussed, the nuclear option in Iran is suicidal, hypocritical and counterproductive.

Iran is not in breach of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to which it has signed up. On the other hand, the UK and the US are both in breach of the treaty. Neither Israel, India nor Pakistan have signed the treaty and all possess nuclear weapons.

Iran insists its nuclear power program is to provide energy for a growing population.

In 1976, the brutal regime of the US-installed Shah was in power and the population of Iran was half its current level, in a world with lower energy demands than today.

Back then, the US government was busy trying to convince Iran to develop 23 nuclear power stations in the country.

Today, the US administration is arguing the nuclear option is not acceptable for Iran, as it already has enough oil and gas.

Whatever one's views on nuclear power, the overwhelming hypocrisy here cannot be ignored. It has been reported that President Bush believes he must do "what no democrat or republican, if elected in the future, would have the courage to do," and that "saving Iran" is going to be his legacy.

Once again, we are marching to war to establish so-called democracy in a foreign nation.

But in doing so we are providing the very reason for it to arm itself and nothing strengthens a regime more than an attack from outside forces.

The UK Government will be on the side of the US, come what may, and it now believes a US attack is "inevitable" if Iran fails to comply with demands to freeze their uranium-enrichment programme.

There is no doubt the people of the US and UK have been hoodwinked into accepting a "long war" in the Middle East.

By accepting the lies which led us into the Iraq war, we have placed ourselves on the brink.

-Glenn Williams, Brighton