He says Iran is a threat not only to Israel but to "so-called moderate Sunni and pro-Western regimes".

The Russians also want assurances that if a pro-Western regime is installed in Baghdad, Russian oil companies will not be frozen out of lucrative oil exploration there.

Between 1954 and 1961, Eisenhower's United States sent economic aid and military advisers to strengthen South Vietnam's pro-Western regime against communist efforts to destabilize it.

Several leftist guerrilla groups attempting to overthrown the pro-Western regime of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi were notable and active in Iran from 1971 to 1975.

Leading an unswervingly secular, pro-western regime, he demonised even moderate Islamist parties and made of the Muslim Brotherhood a bogeyman with which to scare the Americans.

Third, a new, pro-Western, pro-American oil-producing regime in Baghdad could mean a dramatic shake-up of the internal politics and practices of OPEC.

As defense minister in 1982, Mr. Sharon invaded in a futile attempt to install a pro-Western regime in Beirut that could pacify the border region.

Now Iran is using the fanatics to fight pro-western regimes.

It was not, however, until the surprise overthrow of the pro-Western regime in Iraq on 14 July 1958 that Eisenhower decided to act.

The more radical organizations in the PLO decided to undermine Hussein's pro-Western regime.