The London Times reports that NATO may well be involved in prospective air strikes against Iran.

WHEN Major—General Axel Tüttelmann, the head of Nato's Airborne Early Warning and Control Force, showed off an Awacs early warning surveillance plane in Israel a fortnight ago, he caused a flurry of concern back at headquarters in Brussels.

It was not his demonstration that raised eyebrows, but what he said about Nato's possible involvement in any future military strike against Iran. 'We would be the first to be called up if the Nato council decided we should be,' he said.

Nato would prefer the emphasis to remain on the 'if', but Tüttelmann's comments revealed that the military alliance could play a supporting role if America launches airstrikes against Iranian nuclear targets. [....]

The news magazine Der Spiegel noted: 'Washington appears to be dispatching high—level officials to prepare its allies for a possible attack.'

Nato would be likely to operate air defences in Turkey, according to Dan Goure, a Pentagon adviser and vice—president of the Lexington Institute, a military think tank.

A former senior Israeli defence official said he believed all Nato members had contingency plans.