A senior unnamed US official told the London Times this week that an Israeli military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities may not be far off.

The source said that while the US preferred to wait a bit longer and maintain hope in the diplomatic track, Israel would feel compelled to act if Iran were to construct 3,000 working uranium-enriching centrifuges, a "tipping point" toward obtaining weapons-grade uranium.

A day later, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad publicly declared that Iran does in fact have 3,000 operations centrifuges. He made the statement before the Times interview had been published.

Various Israeli lawmakers and security officials have expressed confidence that if the Jewish state decides to strike Iran, it will enjoy the full support of the United States in doing so.

In related news, the US Congress on Wednesday approved a measure increasing by $155 million its funding of the development of two Israeli medium-range anti-missile systems, reported Ynet. The decision, which still needs the approval of US President George W. Bush, marks a 30 percent increase in America's financial participation in the Arrow and David projects.