The escalating tension between Israel and Iran over the latter's nuclear program has been at the center of many foreign policy debates and diplomatic talks over the past decade. Proponents of an Israeli strike say it's needed for to preserve Israel's national security while detractors say such an attack would precipitate World War III. 

Stuxnet, the mysterious computer virus which only targets Siemens industrial software and equipment, devastated Iran's uranium enrichment facility at Natanz and nuclear reactor at Bushehr. These setbacks didn't incur any loss of life; however, they weren't the only actions taken against Iran's nuclear program. Many experts believe that a covert campaign of assassinations, bombings, and sabotage has been anonymously carried out over the past three years by Israel and the Bush and Obama administrations.

Iran says another one of its nuclear scientists has been killed, this time by a motorcyclist who attached a bomb to his car in Tehran this morning. It was the fourth such killing reported in two years and comes at a time of growing tension between Iran and the West. Joining the program is Gordon Corera, security correspondent for our partner the BBC.

In the wake of revelations about its nuclear program, many Western powers have discussed sanctioning Iran's petroleum exports. On Tuesday, Iran stepped up its saber-rattling, warning that if an American aircraft carrier returned to its base via the Strait of Hormuz, it would face the "full force" of the Iranian navy. Roughly one fifth of the world's oil travels through the strait, and it is also where Iran recently tested two long-range missiles during a naval exercise. However, a spokesman for the Department of Defense stated, "the deployment of U.S. military assets in the Persian Gulf region will continue as it has for decades."

Iran warned a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier to stay out of the Persian Gulf on Tuesday, just a day after Iran completed naval exercises in the Strait of Hormuz. In the latest episode of saber-rattling toward the West, Iran tested two short and medium range missiles on Monday. A U.S. Navy aircraft carrier moved into the area in response to the exercises. Iran's army chief threatened to attack the ship if it returns. Iran said during the drills that if the West imposed sanctions on its oil exports, it would close the Strait of Hormuz, the source of 40 percent of the world's oil shipments.

After nearly nine years, a trillion dollars, and thousands of lives lost, the Iraq war came to a quiet end earlier this month. Since the withdrawal of U.S. troops, Iraq has been besieged by internal conflict and fears of civil war. Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, a Shiite, exacerbated sectarian tensions by issuing an arrest warrant for the country's Sunni vice president. A series of deadly bombings in Baghdad last week only made the situation worse. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed piece, former U.S. envoy to Iraq L. Paul Bremer critized President Obama for pulling troops out of Iraq. 

Earlier this month, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta complicated U.S.-Israeli relations by calling the potential consequences of an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities "a confrontation and a conflict that we would regret." The remark resulted in a formal diplomatic protest lodged by Israel's ambassador to the U.S. The Obama administration has since assured the Israelis of the existence of so-called "red lines" — in essence, the White House acknowledges that certain actions undertaken by Iran could trigger U.S. military action against it.

Despite deep worries over the continuing stability of the Iraqi government, the U.S. is planning on selling $11 billion of arms and training to Iraq's military. The sale comes as Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has attempted to marginalize Iraq's Sunni minority since the U.S. withdrew its forces earlier in the month, setting off concerns over civil war. The Obama administration hopes the sale, which includes tanks and fighter jets, will help Iraq build its military and secure its border with Iran. But some American officials worry Iraq's government will move to align itself with the Shiite theocracy in Tehran.

The Iranian government refused a formal request by the U.S. on Tuesday to return an unmanned surveillance drone that was captured by Iran's military earlier this month. Instead, Iranian officials insisted the U.S. apologize for invading its airspace. Iranian television broadcast images of the RQ-170 Sentinel on Monday night, saying scientists were collecting data from the drone. U.S. officials say the drone malfunctioned, countering Iran's claim that electronic warfare brought down the drone. The U.S. says this is the latest provocation of the West by Iran, following an alleged plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the U.S., and the storming of the British embassy in Tehran. (See a video of the drone after the jump.)

Nearly five years ago, FBI agent Robert Levinson disappeared in Iran. Over the weekend a hostage video of Levinson was given to his family. "I am not in very good health," Levinson says on the video. "I am running out of diabetes medicine. I have been treated well, but I need the help of the United States government." It was the first sign his family had that Levinson was alive.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki will meet with President Obama at the White House on Monday to discuss the future of the relationship between the two nations. With the upcoming withdrawal of American troops from Iraq after nearly nine years on December 31, the two nations have pledged to remain close. What that means remains to be seen, as questions persist over Iran's influence in the region as well as the stability of Iraq's government.

On November 12th, a massive explosion decimated a missile-testing site near Tehran and killed General Hassan Tehrani Moghaddam, the head of Iran's missile program. While the cause remains unknown, this explosion is a major setback for the development of long-range missiles. It also comes on the heels of an announcement by Iranian officials that they have shot down a U.S. predator drone.

In light of a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran’s nuclear program, the United States and several international partners are preparing to implement sanctions against Iran if new questions about its nuclear ambitions go unanswered.

The International Atomic Energy Agency is set to release a report that accuses Iran of using foreign aid to get to fund its nuclear weapons capability. Israel's prime minister and president have already warned that they are taking this very seriously, even threatening military intervention. There is also talk of a preemptive strike by the Israelis to confront Iran's nuclear weapons.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (I.A.E.A.), an independent organization of weapons inspectors that reports to United Nations, has been preparing a summary of its findings over the past few years which asserts Iran's nuclear program has "possible military dimensions." Despite the continuing non-cooperation of Iran's government during inspections, the I.A.E.A.'s report includes evidence of devices used to trigger nuclear weapons and structures that could be used for testing such weapons. Russia and China are currently pressing the I.A.E.A.'s director, Yukia Amano, not to make the details of their findings public. Amano briefed members of the National Security Council 11 days ago, but the Obama administration has refused to comment at this time.

A 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck eastern Turkey on Sunday, killing at least 250 people and leaving thousands homeless. The quake decimated the city of Van, near Turkey's border with Iran. Rescue workers continue to search for survivors. Over a thousand people have been injured. This crisis comes coupled with a Turkish military operation in Iraq. Turkish troops have been pursuing Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq since militants of the Kurdish Workers Party, or PKK, killed 24 Kurdish soldiers last week. The PKK is classified as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.

A new United Nations report says Iran's authoritarian regime has been secretly executing hundreds of prisoners, possibly shedding light on alleged human rights abuses committed by the Iranian government. The report focuses on the period of time since the disputed presidential election of 2009. Since that event, an uprising has taken place and hundreds of activists, journalists, students, and lawyers have been detained by the Iranian government.

The Department of Justice announced on Tuesday that a labyrinthine plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States had been conceived and funded by "high-up officials" in Iran. Attorney General Eric Holder vowed that "the United States is committed to holding Iran accountable for its actions." Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the U.S. was considering means by which to "send a strong message to Iran and further isolate it from the international community." Iran, in turn, claimed that the whole thing was cooked up by the U.S. to distract Americans from the state of the economy.

Attorney General Eric Holder announced in a news conference on Tuesday that U.S. officials foiled an Iranian-backed terrorist plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Washington. The plot, which allegedly involved a Mexican cartel and large sums of money, would have culminated in an assassination on U.S. soil — a clear violation of international law. But perhaps more tellingly, this plot reveals major rifts between two of the Middle East's largest nations and within Iran's highest levels of power.

People in Iran and Iranian-Americans are reacting to news of the United States's accusation that the Iranian government backed a plan to assassinate a Saudi ambassador on U.S. soil. Siamak Kalhour hosts two Persian-language radio programs on the AM radio in Los Angeles. Kalhour has lived in the U.S. for 30 years and opens his lines to Iranian-Americans daily basis on his radio program. He talks about the developing situation on the foiled terror plot. Dr. Mohammad Marandi is head of North American studies at the University of Tehran. He believes the assassination is made up by the United States, and says the rest of the world is too quick to believe American lies.