US defense chief Leon Panetta said that Iran could develop a nuclear bomb in about a year and create the means for delivery in a further two to three years. Panetta maintained that if Washington receives intelligence that Iran is proceeding with developing a nuclear weapon, they will take whatever steps are necessary to stop it as would the Israeli's. Panetta added that the US and Israel had common goals. Meanwhile, The Iranian army's ground force commander, General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, said that the United States and its allies would not dare launch an attack on the Islamic Republic, for fear of the Iranian forces and nation.