US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has termed a military attack on Iran as 'ineffective' saying that it will fail to halt Tehran's nuclear program.

"Any military option against Iran will only yield temporary results and will be ineffective," the Jerusalem Post newspaper quoted Gates as saying to the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday.

He added that a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities would only send the country's nuclear program further underground.

Gates stressed that instead, the US and its allies should impose more sanctions against Iran to halt its nuclear program.

The US defense secretary's comments come as the new Israeli government led by the hawkish Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has voiced its commitment to stop Iran's nuclear program, even through a military attack.

MGH/SME/MMA