Iran's Supreme Leader warned the United States and Israel on Thursday, November 10, not to launch any military action against its nuclear sites, saying it would be met with "iron fists."

"Our enemies, particularly the Zionist regime (Israel), America and its allies, should know that any kind of threat and attack or even thinking about any (military) action will be firmly responded to," the state television quoted Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying.

"The Revolutionary Guards and army and our nation ... will answer attacks with strong slaps and iron fists," he said, Reuters reported.

Speculation about an imminent attack on Iran was fueled last week when Israel test-launched a long-range missile near Tel Aviv and by comments by some Israeli officials that Tehran's nuclear program posed a "direct and heavy" threat.

Tension rose on Tuesday when the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran appeared to have worked on designing an atomic bomb and may still be conducting secret research.

Iran denounced the U.N inspectors' report as "unbalanced" and "politically motivated."

Israel on Wednesday called on the world to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons while Western powers called for heavier sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

The United States and European allies say Iran is trying to build bombs under cover of a civilian nuclear program. The major oil producer denies this, saying it needs nuclear technology to improve its electricity supply for a rapidly growing population.