With the media brimming with talk of a US go-ahead for an Israeli war on Iran, the Obama administration moves to deny that it has given Israel the "green light" for any such strike.

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly rejected the impression that US Vice President Joe Biden's earlier remarks could be seen as giving Israel a green light to attack Iran.

Biden said on Sunday that the United States would not stand in the way of Israel if it chose to take military action against the Iranian nuclear program.

In an interview broadcast on ABC, Biden said the US "cannot dictate to another sovereign nation what they can and cannot do."

"Israel can determine for itself - it's a sovereign nation - what's in their interest and what they decide to do relative to Iran and anyone else," he added.

The State Department spokesman reacted to the remarks on Monday, saying "I certainly would not want to give a green light to any kind of military action."

Kelly, however, echoed Biden's point that Israel has a right to make its own military decisions.

"We're not going to dictate its actions," he said. "We're also committed to Israel's security. And we share Israel's deep concerns about Iran's nuclear program."

Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen warned on Sunday that any military strike against Iran would have "unintended consequences" and would be "very destabilizing."

"I've been one who has been concerned about a strike on Iran for some time, because it could be very destabilizing, and it is the unintended consequences of that, which aren't predictable," he said.

Israel, the possessor of the sole nuclear arsenal in the Middle East, accuses Iran of pursuing a military nuclear program aimed at destabilizing the region and attacking Israel.

Iran denies the claims and says under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) -- to which the country is a signatory -- it is entitled to conduct a nuclear program for civilian purposes.

Under former president George W. Bush, the US pursued a carrot-and-stick policy toward Tehran over its nuclear program.

US President Barack Obama, however, has been looking at ways to create a change in tone from the one adopted by the former administration toward Iran and its nuclear activities.

President Obama with a slogan of "change" had pledged to extend a hand of peace to Iran by year's end if it "unclenched its fist" while admitting that he will not exclude a "range of steps" including tougher sanctions.

The State Department spokesman went on to reject the notion that Biden's remarks signaled a decision by the Obama White House to drop its policy of diplomatic engagement with Tehran.

"I wouldn't read into it any more than what you see," Kelly said.

SF/SC/CS