Modern-Day Ending?

The president of Iran indeed shares geographical roots with the Persian King Achashverosh's adviser, who schemed to kill all the Jews, as told in the story that defines Purim. And both antagonists share a seeming maniacal hatred for the Jewish people.

But the comparisons end there. For one thing, while Haman's hatred was targeted at the Jews in his midst, Ahmadinejad's reaches to Israel and beyond. For another, we know the ending of the Purim story.

With today's Iran, of course, the story is far from over -- and the most recent chapter only confirms our sense of foreboding.

The latest report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nation's nuclear watchdog group, for the first time openly expressed fears about Iran's intentions to develop nuclear warheads.

Iran's resistance to IAEA investigation efforts "give rise to concerns about possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear program," said the report, issued last week.

The report comes as the United States and Europe are pressing the U.N. Security Council to pass a new set of sanctions targeting Iran's leadership as part of an effort to force it to comply with inspectors.

In the modern-day story, the threats stemming from Tehran's nuclear ambitions -- compounded by its internal political turmoil -- could potentially destabilize the entire Middle East and alter geopolitical calculations worldwide.

As the day of reckoning with a nuclear Iran fast approaches, we must continue to push hard for sanctions, as well as confront the ominous possibility of living with a nuclear nation.

Israel itself faces a difficult choice. Even if it were to act on its own to strike Iran, the price would be extraordinarily high, with no guarantee that it would work to halt the country's nuclear advance.

The month of Adar is a time to be happy. But even as we celebrate with our costumes and our schpiels, we should pause to reflect on the Iranian threat.

Let's just hope that this story ends differently. For while we rejoice in Queen Esther's courage to confront the king and save her people, that's not the whole Megillah.

Unable to annul the decree that called for the Jews' annihilation, Esther and Mordechai, with the king's blessing, issue a second edict, enabling the Jews to engage in their own defense. As a result, they fend off their enemies and kill tens of thousands in the process.

It's not a pretty picture. Nor will it be if Israel -- with or without Western assistance -- is forced to take defensive action on its own to once again confront an existential threat from Persia.