I hope I am wrong.

Based on all the evidence it looks like an American invasion of Iran is inevitable.

This week, Army officials discovered Iran has been supplying Iraqi militants with Explosively Formed Penetrators, or EFPs. These EFPs, which are designed to punch holes in armed vehicles, are being used extensively in attacks on American military convoys and patrols.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad also announced this week that he will not suspend his country’s nuclear program. At this point the Middle Eastern country is simply attempting to produce fuel, but creating weapons is only one more step up the nuclear ladder.

These are just two more excuses President Bush can use to justify an invasion of Iran.

Clearly Iran is becoming a threat, but oil is still the greatest motivator for the current administration.

In 2004, Halliburton lost almost $1 billion dollars, but in 2005, with the company earning full rights to control the Iraqi oil supplies through a no-bid contract, Halliburton profits exceeded $2 billion.

The corruption and unethical decision making in the Bush administration is unbelievable. There is no motivation for President Bush to withdraw American troops when people in his administration – Vice President Cheney was the former CEO of Halliburton – are making so much money by occupying Iraq.

The same reasons that are keeping troops in Iraq – money and oil – are also the reason President Bush could push for a campaign in Iran.

Rumors started early in the Iraq war that President Bush had always planned on attacking Iran as well. So far, thankfully, those fears have proved to be untrue.

The reason so many Middle Eastern countries despise Americans is our historical involvement in the region. In one decade we helped Iraq fight Iran, in the next decade we helped Kuwait defend itself from Iraq and a decade later we are invading Iraq and possibly Iran.

The region is so volatile that any attempts to help one regime will ultimately prove to be unsuccessful because that government will crumble or be overthrown in a short time.

With 40 percent of Iranians below the poverty line and a 16.3 unemployment rate, the country is suffering economically despite surging oil prices.

Petroleum counts for 85 percent of Iran’s exports and, make no mistake, black gold is behind every move of President Bush – who served on the board of an oil company, Harken Energy, which is battling against Costa Ricans to set up off-shore drilling near the country – makes in the region.

The United States is the second largest producer of petroleum, but its need is more than twice as great.

To prevent future involvement in the Middle East, the United States needs to develop alternative fuel sources.

An Ethanol plant could be coming to Charleston, and the product, derived from corn, is an excellent fuel source for a nation with tremendous food production.

That is only the beginning of what could wean the nation entirely off the petroleum teat.

There is a lot of money to be made in oil, and currently our government is too tied to the substance to realistically promote alternative fuels with true desire.

But the only way to prevent future involvement in the Middle East is to eliminate the need to acquire its biggest asset; otherwise Iran won’t be the last step in the United States’ crusade for petroleum.

But I hope I’m wrong.