US has plan to attack Iran over nuclear threat

The US has plans in place to attack Iran if necessary to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons, Washington's envoy to Israel said, days ahead of a round of nuclear talks with Tehran.

Dan Shapiro told the Israel Bar Association the US hopes it will not have to resort to military force. "But that doesn't mean that option is not fully available," he said. "The necessary planning has been done to ensure that it's ready."

Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes, such as energy production. The US and Israel suspect Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons.