US says strike on Iran could miss nuclear sites

WASHINGTON: Pentagon chief Leon Panetta on Friday warned there was no guarantee a US military strike on Iran would hit intended targets linked to Tehran's nuclear program, saying the sites are "difficult to get at."

The US defense secretary has recently voiced his misgivings about bombing
Iran in a series of public remarks, amid speculation Israel may take pre-emptive action to prevent Tehran from acquiring atomic weapons.

But for the first time Friday, Panetta -- the former director of the CIA --appeared to suggest Iran's underground nuclear facilities might survive air strikes.

"The indication is that at best it (military action) might postpone it (Iran's nuclear program) maybe by one or possibly two years," he said in remarks at an event organized by the Brookings think-tank in Washington.

"It depends on the ability to truly get at the targets that they're after. Frankly, some of those targets are very difficult to get at," Panetta said.

Panetta reiterated his view that a strike against Iran could benefit the regime in Tehran at a moment when it is "off-balance" and out of step with popular uprisings sweeping the region.

He also said a strike could derail the European and US economies, endanger US troops and trigger an unpredictable cycle of violence.

"Lastly, the consequence could be that we would have an escalation that would take place which would not only involve losing lives but I think could consume the Middle East in confrontation and conflict that we would regret.

"So we have to be careful about the unintended consequences of that kind of attack," Panetta said.