The Obama administration poured cold water Monday on any notion it is giving Israel the green light to attack Iran or that it is reconsidering plans to engage diplomatically with the Islamic republic.

Vice President Joe Biden said in an interview broadcast Sunday that the United States would not stand in the way of Israel in its dealings with Iran''s nuclear ambitions.

But State Department spokesman Ian Kelly rebuffed suggestions from reporters that Biden could be seen as giving the Jewish state a green light to attack Iran, which it views as an existential threat.

"I certainly would not want to give a green light to any kind of military action," Kelly said, repeating Biden''s point that Washington considered Israel a "sovereign country" with a right to make its own military decisions.

"We''re not going to dictate its actions," Kelly added.

"We''re also committed to Israel''s security. And we share Israel''s deep concerns about Iran''s nuclear program," the spokesman said.

He also refuted any idea that President Barack Obama''s administration would drop its policy to engage diplomatically with Iran.