Hillary Clinton, US secretary of state, has warned of the risk of regional conflict if new United Nations sanctions are not imposed on Tehran's nuclear programme, telling the Financial Times that “ignoring the threat posed by Iran will put the world in a more precarious position within six months to a year”.
Senior Pentagon officials last week said Iran could develop enough fissile material for a bomb within a year, although it would probably take three to five years for Tehran to develop a serviceable weapon.
The New York Times reported yesterday that Robert Gates, US defence secretary, had warned the White House in January that the US lacked an effective long-term strategy to counter Iran's nuclear ambitions.