Israel could launch military strike on Iran 'within nine months

Israel could launch an air strike against Iran within nine months in a bid to slow Tehran's progress towards building a nuclear weapon, according to a former senior White House aide.

Dennis Ross, a veteran diplomat on the Middle East, said Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would not necessarily feel restrained by objections from President Barack Obama, despite his country's historically close ties with Washington.

His remarks came as Israel's chief of military intelligence, Gen Aviv Kochavi, said Israel was convinced Iran had enough radioactive material to produce four nuclear bombs.

"Iran is very actively pursuing its efforts to develop its nuclear capacities, and we have evidence that they are seeking nuclear weapons," he said.

With anxiety about an Israeli attack spreading, Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, said: "I worry that there will be a military conflict and that certain countries might seek to take matters into their own hands."

Britain, he said, had been attempting to demonstrate "that there are very tough things we can do which are not military steps in order to place pressure on Iran".