An Iranian nuclear power plant [AFP]

But the White House has claimed that Hersh's story is "riddled with inaccuracies".

Any conflict with Shia Iran is likely to have inflammatory consequences for the US in neighbouring Iraq. Hersh, however, says in his article that planning and intelligence work to attack Iran is going ahead, despite the possible consequences.

Some US officials are reportedly of the opinion that an attack on Iran would prompt an uprising by Iranians who oppose the hardline religious leaders. The view sounds strikingly similar to the one forwarded during the run-up to the Iraq invasion: that US troops would be welcomed as liberators by Iraqis.

Is the US attack on Iran a likely scenario? And if so, how might it impact on the volatile situation in Iraq?

Our guests this week are:

Seymour Hersh, veteran journalist of the New Yorker, Dr John Alterman, the director of the Middle East Programme at the International Institute for Political Studies, and Dr Seyid Mohammad Moranadi, a political analyst and professor of political studies at Tehran University.

Watch this episode of Inside Iraq here:

Part 1: