To most people this won’t be news, the rest will simply ignore as it conflicts with their world view.

The American military is holding at least four Iranians in Iraq, including men the Bush administration called senior military officials, who were seized in a pair of raids late last week aimed at people suspected of conducting attacks on Iraqi security forces, according to senior Iraqi and American officials in Baghdad and Washington.

. . . It was unclear what kind of evidence American officials possessed that the Iranians were planning attacks, and the officials would not identify those being held. One official said that ?a lot of material? was seized in the raid, but would not say if it included arms or documents that pointed to planning for attacks. Much of the material was still being examined, the official said.

Nonetheless, the two raids, in central Baghdad, have deeply upset Iraqi government officials, who have been making strenuous efforts to engage Iran on matters of security. At least two of the Iranians were in this country on an invitation extended by Iraq?s president, Jalal Talabani, during a visit to Tehran earlier this month. It was particularly awkward for the Iraqis that one of the raids took place in the Baghdad compound of Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, one of Iraq?s most powerful Shiite leaders, who traveled to Washington three weeks ago to meet President Bush.

It’s time to directly confront the Iranian madman. No, that does not necessarily mean military conflict, though it should be an option. But we must state unequivacally that this behavior will not be tolerated, and that there will be consequences if it continues. They must believe we are serious, and the easiest method to achive that is to actually be serious. This is a novel idea to many, the same people who will reflexively label such a policy as “warmongering”. Yet it must be done.

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