Azerbaijan, Baku, Dec. 22 / Trend, T. Jafarov, S. Isayev/
"The remarks made by the U.S Secretary of Defence are baseless," head of the office of the Supreme Leader, head Commander Ali Khamenei, Mohammad Shirazi said, Mehr reported.
Mr Shirazi was commenting on previous media reports that the U.S. is developing a military plan of attack on Iran. "The U.S. leader asks Iran to return a spy, while the Secretary of Defence talks about military attacks," Mr Shirazi added.
Mr Shirazi said that Iranian Armed Forces are always on alert and ready to stand their ground against any enemy.
In an interview with CBS News on Dec. 20, U.S. Defence Secretary Panetta said Iran could have a nuclear weapon in a year or possibly sooner and that the timeline might be different if Tehran had a secret 'hidden' site. In the interview, Mr Panetta also refused to rule out military action to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, but unlike previous statements he made no mention of the potential risks associated with a strike that he has warned of repeatedly.
"If they proceed and we get intelligence that they're going ahead in developing a nuclear weapon, then we will take whatever steps are necessary to stop it," he said.
Also, U.S. Gen. Martin Dempsey told CNN on Dec.21 that the U.S. is developing a military plan for attack on Iran's nuclear weapons.
Iran claims its nuclear programme is peaceful, but Western countries have suspicions over Iran's aim to produce a nuclear weapon. The UN Security Council has adopted sanctions on Iran in four rounds. The U.S, EU and their allies have imposed additional sanctions on Iran as well.