US military action against Iran has not been ruled out, a Pentagon spokesman said Wednesday, after a top official said such an option was off the table in the "near term."

The Defense Department faced questions about US policy on Iran after Michele Flournoy, undersecretary of defense for policy, reportedly said during a visit to Singapore that a strike against Iran would be a "last resort."

"It is not on the table in the near term," Flournoy was quoted as saying.

Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell said US strategy over Iran's nuclear program remained unchanged, with Washington focused on diplomatic efforts to persuade Tehran to abandon uranium enrichment.

"I don't think that's anything new," Morrell said of Flournoy's remarks.

"It clearly is not our preference to go to war with Iran, to engage militarily with Iran.

"Nobody wishes to do that, but she also makes it clear it's not off the table."

He said the US preference for diplomacy over military action held true for the current administration as well as former president George W. Bush's White House.

He acknowledged that nearly 200,000 troops deployed in countries bordering Iran -- Afghanistan and Iraq -- could face attacks from Tehran in the event of a possible US strike against Tehran.

"And we have troops in close proximity to Iran that are potentially targets of retaliation should action be taken," he said.

Given Iran's arsenal of short and medium-range missiles, the US military has missile defense systems in the region that "we think will protect our forces against such a threat," he added.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates and top military officer Admiral Mike Mullen have warned of the limits and risks of any military action against Iran, saying it would likely only delay Tehran's program by a few years.

earlier related report
We will not allow US to dominate Iran: Khamenei
Tehran (AFP) April 21, 2010 - Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that Tehran will not allow the United States to dominate the Islamic republic, taking another swipe at US President Barack Obama's "nuclear threat."

"Nobody should dare to threaten humanity this way. We will not allow the US to impose its infernal domination on Iran again with these threats," Ayatollah Khamenei said, quoted by Fars news agency.

Khamenei, speaking to a group of nurses, targeted Obama and said the international community should react, referring to a new US nuclear policy which bars the use of nuclear arms but singles out Iran and North Korea as "exceptions."

Obama's "nuclear threat marked a black spot in that government's record," said Iran's leader, whose country has interpreted the US policy as tantamount to a threat of nuclear attack.

Khamenei lashed out at Washington, saying the arch-foe's attempt to initiate "friendship" with Tehran last year was nothing but an example of the "wolfish" and "bloodthirsty" nature of the United States.

Obama, in an unprecedented Persian New Year message to the Islamic republic in 2009, offered a hand of diplomacy to help ease the animosity between the two enemies.

"It is clear what is behind this ... outreaching of a hand of friendship," Khamenei said.

"It is evident now what is at work behind the scene and what their bloodthirsty and domineering nature is. These threats will get nowhere. Iranians will get them down to their knees."

Tehran and Washington have had no diplomatic relations since the aftermath of the 1979 Islamic revolution.

The animosity has grown over Tehran's defiant pursuit of a controversial nuclear programme which Washington suspects masks a weapons drive, an allegation denied by Iran.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad last week called for Washington's suspension from the International Atomic Energy Agency along with all other nations which possess nuclear arms.

Middle East peace would thwart Iran cynicism : Jones
Washington (AFP) April 21, 2010 - White House national security chief James Jones Wednesday said that making peace in the Middle East would stop Iran "cynically" using the conflict to deflect attention from its nuclear program.

He also called on today's leaders in the region to show the courage and leadership of leaders like late Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, late Jordanian king Hussein and ex-Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.

Jones, a retired general who is President Barack Obama's national security advisor, said a two-state solution between Israelis and the Palestinians was in the interests of each side, the United States, and the world.

"Advancing this peace would also help prevent Iran from cynically shifting attention away from its failures to meet its obligations," Jones said in prepared remarks to a dinner in Washington, released by the White House.

Some observers say the Israeli government, currently locked in a showdown over settlement building with the Obama White House, views the threat from Iran's nuclear program as more of a security priority than the Palestinian question.

Jones also addressed his remarks to leaders throughout the Middle East, suggesting that all sides must take political risks to break the current deadlock.

"It is time for all leaders in the region -- Israeli, Palestinian, and Arab -- to support efforts for peace."

"It is time for today's leaders to demonstrate the courage and leadership of Anwar Sadat, King Hussein, and Yitzhak Rabin."

Sadat, who signed the Camp David peace accords with Israel, was assassinated in 1981. Rabin, who signed the Oslo accords with the Palestinians, was shot dead by an Israeli extremist in 1995. King Hussein died of cancer in 1999.

Despite current tensions with Israel, Jones said in the remarks to the Washington Institute for Near East policy that the US commitment to its ally's security was "unbreakable."

"Everyone must know that there is no space -- no space -- between the United States and Israel when it comes to Israel's security.

"Our commitment to Israel's security is unshakable. It is as strong as ever."