Here we go again. Stop me if you’ve heard this one. Another conflict is in danger of erupting into war in the Middle East and the sabre rattlers are calling for the United States to become involved.

If war does break out between Israel and Iran, then the U.S. belongs on the sidelines for this one; it’s that simple.

This does not mean we move away from our policy of supporting Israel. There is a big difference between our government’s support of Israel and our government’s actual involvement in a war that includes Israel.

The role of the U.S. should be to help limit the war if it comes and to aid in bringing it to the quickest possible solution.

Dr. Stephen Stambough is Chair of the Division of Politics, Administration and Justice at Cal State Fullerton. If hostilities did break out, he said, our government should operate as peacemaker and we should not be involved in any escalating military action.

“A lot of the U.S. involvement … would be on the diplomatic side, making sure it remained contained and that a larger war did not break out,” he said. “Our real role would be working with everything from the Arab League to the security council allies, particularly Russia and China, to make sure it did not escalate.”

A big problem if conflict breaks out between Israel and Iran would be their confrontational leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has vowed to punish the U.S. by any means possible. He is aggressive at best, and unstable at worst.

ABC News reported Feb. 6 that Khamenei told Iranians that if his country were attacked, it would be “10 times worse for interests in the United States.” While most of his words are just fiery rhetoric, we do not know what he is capable of, which makes him dangerous.

At the heart of the conflict is Iran’s pursuit of weapons-grade nuclear material. Israel perceives the country as unstable and aggressive, so Iran has to be stopped before developing any nuclear weapons. We support that position, as we should.

If Khamenei believed we were part of an attack by Israel, he would not hesitate to use a “dirty bomb,” a nuclear weapon that can kill thousands of people by exposing them to radiation. If the war were to move in that direction, it would be disastrous for us and the world.

Our two recent military conflicts in Iraq and our long search for Osama Bin Laden in and around Afghanistan should have taught us a simple lesson when it comes to the Middle East – becoming involved beyond normal diplomacy can cost us our most valuable asset, young American lives.

There will be conflicts when we are needed, when we must become one of the participants in a struggle and we must commit more than words. A war between Israel and Iran would not be one of those conflicts.

For centuries the Middle East has been a bubbling cauldron of strife, with new struggles constantly appearing on the horizon. We cannot afford, nor would it make sense, to jump in and take sides each and every time hostilities break out.

If Israel attacks Iran with an air strike, then it definitely will mean war. The U.S. will have to make a tough but logical decision: show support for Israel, but stay out of the conflict. Diplomacy would be our best bet if this situation were to occur.