Mullen: Iran close to having a nuke

WASHINGTON, May 24 (UPI) -- Iran is within three years of having a nuclear weapon, the top U.S. military official said Sunday.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in an appearance on ABC's "This Week" program the United States has little time to pursue diplomatic solutions to persuade Tehran to jettison its nuclear program.

"Most of us believe that it's one to three years, depending on assumptions about where they are right now. But they are moving closer, clearly, and they continue to do that," Mullen said.

As for a military strike against Iran, he said there could be dire consequences to such a move.

"The unintended consequences of a strike against Iran right now would be incredibly serious," he said.

Mullen's comments come after Iran last week successfully test-fired a missile that some experts said could hit Israel and American military bases in the region.