This week marks the 25th anniversary of the Israeli bombing of Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor. It would be a terrible idea for Israel, an unacknowledged nuclear state with perhaps as many as 400 nuclear warheads, or the US, to invoke that precedent and take or even threaten similar action against Iran's nuclear facilities.

In terms of military capacity, Israel faces a much tougher task with Iran today compared to Iraq in 1981. Osirak was relatively close and had one nuclear site; potential Iranian targets are much farther away and would strain Israeli bombers' range, and Iran is thought to have dozens of sites involved in its nuclear program. Most analysts now say the Osirak bombing merely delayed Saddam Hussein's pursuit of the nuclear bomb, in fact it intensified his desire for it. There is no way Israel, or even the US, could "take out" Iran's nuclear capacity without a massive bombing campaign and a ground invasion would likely need to follow.

Even if it had the military capability, Israel's attacking Iran would be a calamity that might trigger even more violent conflict in a region already in turmoil over the illegal US occupation of Iraq, the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, and political and military instability in other countries. Muslim anger at Israel and the US, already high, would doubtless explode, understandably so, with unknowable consequences one shudders to contemplate.

Moreover, the current "crisis" over Iran's nuclear program is a manufactured one, since Iran is at least several years away from obtaining nuclear weapons, if indeed that is their aim, which is by no means certain. There is plenty of time for diplomacy, and a skilled US Administration (would that we had one) with any vision at all could see an opening to engage Iran on a variety of concerns to both countries and an opportunity to enhance regional and global security by calling for a Middle East Nuclear Weapons Free Zone, as has been advocated since the 1970's and reaffirmed just last week by Hans Blix's Commission on Weapons of Mass Destruction.

I had the honor of joining a delegation of citizen peace makers to Iran last month. No one I met expressed any desire to strike Israel or the US and the thought of the wonderful land and people I met being attacked is simply intolerable.

Driving North out of Esfahan the highway plows through high desert; rough mountains rise and recede on all sides. In between mountains one sees orchards full of apricot, walnut, peach, and pear trees. The entrance to Natanz is marked by a piece of pottery two stories high celebrating the city's history as an important cultural center. At its heyday, Natanz had 300 pottery workshops. Only one is left.

When I visited Natanz, my group met with a dozen young women who live in a group house for girls whose parents cannot raise them because of incarceration or drug addiction. The young women made us a delicious lunch and peppered us with questions about the U.S., our feelings about Iran, and what we thought about their civilian nuclear program.

The Natanz nuclear facility sits directly off the highway. No high fences, towers, huge guns or ferocious dogs blocked our view of the somewhat shabby, nondescript buildings. We were told that the two small watch towers and weaponry that do exist are new additions, only since Western attention began focusing on the area.

Although Natanz is small and it feels like it is in the middle of nowhere, it is surrounded by large and very important Iranian cities. Esfahan is to the South, Qom is in the North. Esfahan was developed in the 16th century under the Safavid dynasty who made the city their capital. The city is now a UNESCO world heritage city because of its wide variety of Islamic architectural sites and beautiful gardens. Under the Safavid King Shah Abbas I, Esfahan's parks, libraries and mosques amazed Europeans who had not seen anything like this at home. The Persians called it Nesf-e-Jahan, half the world; meaning that to see it was to see half the world. Two million people now make their home in this lush, beautiful city. In addition to its gardens, beautiful mosques, and plazas, Esfahan is home to a nuclear research center.

Both Esfahan and Natanz have nuclear facilities buried underground. The Washington Post and Seymour Hersh in The New Yorker have both published reports speculating on the possibility of the use of nuclear weapons - which would be the first such use since Nagasaki in 1945 -- on targets in Esfahan and Natanz. Hitting these targets could kill, injure or endanger over 2 million people.

There may be those in Israel or elsewhere who celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Osirak bombing. What's done is done; history cannot be changed, and in this case, it must not be repeated.

Melissa Van is Executive Director of Peace Action of New York State, with affiliates around the state and headquarters in Manhattan. She went to Iran last month on a two-week citizen peace delegation organized by the Fellowship of Reconciliation.