President Barack Obama stood before the world in Prague in April 2009 and firmly declared, "Today I state clearly and with conviction America's commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons." This forceful declaration has and will continue to be followed through with action-both the United States and Russia have decreased their nuclear stockpiles over fivefold since 1991, and President Obama is committed to signing even more treaties and agreements to further reduce the United States' nuclear arsenal of weapons.

Yet while the United States, Russia and many other countries are pursuing a path of peace and strategic arms reduction, there are others that are heading in the exact opposite direction. One of these countries is the Islamic Republic of Iran, a country which, if it were to reach its goal of developing a nuclear weapon, could spell disaster for the United States and the rest of the Western world.

There is no doubt that Iran is working its hardest to attain a nuclear weapon. Iran's first nuclear facility, the Bushehr I reactor, was opened in September 2011. Two months later the International Atomic Energy Agency detailed a report affirming that Iran had undertaken research and experiments geared toward developing a nuclear weapons capability. Iran has repeatedly failed to allow IAEA inspectors to investigate its nuclear program, defying both the Non-Proliferation Treaty Safeguards Agreement and international law. In fact, even the Iranian leadership has hinted at their ambitions, with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stating this past February that if Iran ever decided to build nuclear weapons, "no global power" could stop them.

Iran has already committed itself to violence against the West and there is no doubt that if it were to develop a nuclear weapon it would pose a serious threat. The Iranian leadership has noted that it is "natural and unavoidable" to be in conflict with the United States, and refers to the United States as the "Great Satan." Likewise, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stated in a 2007 meeting with the Syrian foreign minister that "the United States and the Zionist regime of Israel will soon come to the end of their lives." Ahmadinejad calls time and time again for the destruction of Israel-an ally of the United States and the only true liberal democracy in the Middle East-and has denied the Holocaust publicly many times.

Additionally, according to the U.S. State Department, Iran is considered "the largest state-sponsor of terrorism" and provides funding, weapons and training to numerous terrorist groups. Most notable of these is Hezbollah, which was founded with help from Iran in the 1980s and is considered a terrorist group by the governments of the United States, Canada, Israel and the United Kingdom, among others. Aside from al-Qaeda, Hezbollah is the terrorist group responsible for the most American deaths; it was Hezbollah that bombed United States Marines barracks in Lebanon in 1983, killing 223 Marines sent on a peacekeeping mission. It was Hezbollah that in 1996 carried out an attack at the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia, killing 19 United States airmen. A country that is so openly supportive of terrorism should be in no position to be in control of a weapon capable of causing immeasurable loss of life.

As the centrifuges in Iran keep spinning, it is clear that action must be taken. Most experts believe that Iran will have enriched enough uranium to be a threat within a year, with some, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that it is possible that Iran will reach this level by the approaching summer season. So far, economic sanctions have been placed by the United States on Iran in attempts to slow down nuclear progress, and while the sanctions have crippled the Iranian economy and have had noticeable effects on its nuclear program, they are not stopping Iran's march toward acquiring nuclear weapons altogether. More sanctions must continue to be passed and applied-the more international pressure placed on Iran, the greater the chance that the Iranian leadership will realize that the United States is serious about halting Iran's progress and that it is thus not in Iran's best interest to continue seeking a nuclear weapon.

While diplomatic options should continue to remain the first course of action and the United States must strive to continue dialogue with Iran, other options, including military action, must be considered if diplomatic means fail. As President Obama said last month in Israel, the United States must "do what is necessary" to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, with the president stressing that "all options remain on the table." Time is clearly of the essence, and in this case, the saying "better safe than sorry" holds true.

The situation in Iran must continue to be monitored, and concrete action needs to be taken before it is too late. While we aim for a peaceful resolution through dialogue and sanctions, all other options must remain. We cannot afford to stand by idly while Iran marches toward nuclear capability.

Daniel Koas '16 is the president-elect of the Brandeis Israel Public Affairs Committee.