Israel's top spy: Iran bomb possible in 2 years

The remarks by Major-General Aviv Kochavi, chief of military intelligence, also appeared aimed at asserting authority over the rival Israeli espionage agency Mossad, whose departing chief said this month Iran might not have nuclear arms before 2015.

"The sanctions have had an impact on the Iranian economy, but they have had no impact on Iran's nuclear programme," Kochavi said in his first briefing to an Israeli parliamentary defence panel, according to its spokesman.

"The question is not when Iran will have a bomb but rather how much time until the Supreme Leader decides to escalate" uranium enrichment, Kochavi said, referring to a currently low-purity project that Iran says is for peaceful energy needs.

"Based on their infrastructure and the technical know-how and uranium they have, within a year or two after he makes that decision, they will have nuclear weapons."

Western officials tend to see potential Iranian military nuclear capability at mid-decade - whether due to Tehran's policies, foreign sabotage or US-led sanctions biting into key funds and supplies.

"The most recent analysis is that the sanctions have been working. They have made it much more difficult for Iran to pursue its nuclear ambition," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Jan. 10.

A senior US Treasury official, Stuart Levey, told Reuters on Jan. 12 that sanctions had "significantly" discouraged investment in Iran's energy sector; Kazinform cites China Daily.

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