Jaap de Hoop Scheffer discusses the proliferation domino in the Middle East

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer recently issued a warning about the proliferation threat from North Korea and particularly Iran. He said that Iran could provide a "nuclear domino effect" in the Middle East, according to Reuters.  Adding a degree of urgency to the potential consequences of an Iran nuclear program, ISIS's Mark Fitzpatrick today declared, "During 2009, Iran will probably reach the point at which it has produced the amount of low-enriched uranium needed to make a nuclear bomb," according to SkyNews.   In the context of NATO, one of the primary questions is whether the United States will be able to get Russia and China on board for tougher sanctions to further pinch the Iran economy during this economic downturn.  At the same time, U.S. nuclear cooperation deals , such as the one recently signed with the UAE, may be an avenue to help check against a proliferation cascade in the Middle East.