Iran ground force commander: U.S. wouldn't dare attack us

Haaretz -- Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdasta says America and its allies are 'fearful of the Iranian forces and nation'; U.S. Defense Secretary warns that Iran only a year away from producing a nuclear bomb.

The Iranian army's ground force commander said Monday that the United States and its allies would not dare launch an attack on the Islamic Republic, Iran's state-run Press TV reported.

"They are fearful of the Iranian forces and nation," Press TV quoted Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan as saying.

Pourdastan said that despite the fact that the U.S. dispatched the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf, and despite the advanced weaponry in America's possession, fears of an Iranian retaliation would deter any kind of attack by the U.S.

The U.S. and European nations have recently increased pressure on Iran by imposing a wide-reaching oil embargo over Tehran's disputed nuclear program.

Earlier Monday, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned that Iran is only one year away from producing a nuclear weapon, saying that the U.S. "will take whatever steps necessary" to stop it.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said earlier this month that Iran would stand up to growing international pressure over its nuclear program and threatened to "respond to attacks."

Iran has retaliated to the growing pressure with threats to block oil transport through the Strait of Hormuz, which carries a large part of Middle East oil to the rest of the world.