I have just left the chamber following the Foreign Affairs Questions having asked a question regarding Iran.

I asked the Minister what assessment he had made of Iran’s nuclear programme and then followed with this supplementary:

"Iran fund, train and arm Hamas in the Gaza and Hezbollah in the Lebanon – it is reported that by the end of this year Iran will be nuclear ready. The Minister has just stated that Hamas is committed to the abolition of Israel. What steps are being taken to ensure that Iran doesn’t make available its nuclear capability to its favoured terrorist groups?"

(That’s what I intended to and think I said but unfortunately adrenaline removes the ability to remember word perfect once you have sat down!)

The Minister left no doubt as to the Government's awareness of the seriousness of the situation regarding Iran and made clear the refusal of Iran to comply with a variety of UN requests, causing widespread concern.

The Minister confirmed the Hamas position to obliterate Israel and that this position until renounced will make any uni-lateral ceasefire impossible.

So what do you do if you’re Israel? If the terrorist group firing rockets into your country repeatedly asserts its intention to wipe you of the face of the earth and if the country which backs that terrorist group both with finance and ideology is nearing nuclear capability?

It is almost impossible to underestimate how serious the situation is.

If Israel believes that Iran presents a real threat or if Hamas took an upper hand or if Iran decided of its own volition to step into the ring we may witness any prospect of a peace process disappear and an increase in both the scale and casualties of this war.

With or without support, would Israel attack Iran in order to neutralise its nuclear threat? Following the death of six million of its ancestors, friends and relatives at the hands of an evil force, how far would Israel go to ensure its people don’t meet a similar fate at the hands of another aggressor?

The question has to be asked: why has Iran spent decades, two in secrecy, developing nuclear capability? Why does Iran fund, train and support Hamas and Hezbolah? The answer is surely, something of the night.