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US President Barack Obama has told an Israeli television channel it would take Iran "over a year or so" to develop a nuclear weapon, BBC reported. 

In an interview with Channel 2 he said he did not want to "cut it too close" and declined to rule out the possibility of military action.

Iran's nuclear programme is expected to be high on the agenda when Mr Obama visits Israel later this month.

Tehran insists it is refining uranium only for peaceful energy purposes.

But Israel has repeatedly threatened a military strike if Iran appears to be on the verge of obtaining a bomb.

Washington is pushing for more time to allow diplomacy and economic sanctions to run their course.

"We think that it would take over a year or so for Iran to actually develop a nuclear weapon but obviously we don't want to cut it too close," Mr Obama said.

"My message (to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) will be the same as before: if we can resolve it diplomatically, that's a more lasting solution. But if not, I continue to keep all options on the table."

Asked if an attack on Iran's nuclear sites was a realistic option he said: "When I say that all options are on the table, all options are on the table and the United States obviously has significant capabilities.

"But our goal here is to make sure that Iran does not possess a nuclear weapon that could threaten Israel or could trigger an arms race in the region. That would be extraordinarily dangerous at a time when obviously there are already a lot of things going on."