Israel has not decided on Iran strike - Panetta

US: Israel has not yet decided whether to strike Iran over its suspect nuclear program, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Tuesday, as Tehran dismissed the threat of an imminent attack.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak in recent days had stiffened their rhetoric on Iran, suggesting they were thinking more seriously of military action against Tehran's nuclear facilities. When asked about the issue at a press conference, Panetta offered reassurances, echoing the White House line that there is still time to negotiate a solution to the nuclear showdown. "I've said this before, I'll say it now -- I don't believe they made a decision as to whether or not they will -- they will go in and attack Iran at this time," Panetta told reporters.

"Obviously, they're an independent -- they're a sovereign country. They'll ultimately make decisions based on what they think is in their national security interest," he noted. "The reality is that we still think there is room to continue to negotiate." Earlier this month, Panetta visited Israel, where his pleas for more time to let diplomacy run its course received a less than warm welcome from Netanyahu and Barak. AFP