For now, sanctions are the best way to go, said the Cabinet minister, Shaul Mofaz. He said Israel and the US agreed to review the effectiveness of sanctions at the end of 2007.

Mofaz met earlier this week with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. At the time, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said he was not aware of any discussion of a deadline for diplomacy.

The United Nations has imposed sanctions twice against Iran for defying international will with its uranium enrichment program. The United States and its allies have signalled their support for harsher sanctions.

Mofaz told Israel Radio on Saturday that the US and Israel agree on how to deal with Iran.

"The strategy shared by the US and Israel has three elements," Mofaz told Israel Radio. "One is a united international front against the Iranian nuclear program. Secondly, at this time, sanctions are the best way to act against the aspirations of Iran."He said the third element is "a very, very clear signal and a clear statement that all options are on the table." Mofaz added: "I never said there is no military option, and the military option is included in all the options that are on the table, but at this time it's right to use the path of sanctions, and to intensify them."

Iran insists that its program is designed to produce civilian energy. It has resisted Western offers of diplomatic and economic benefits if it would suspend enrichment programs.

Meanwhile, Israel has put out secret feelers to Syria, but has not received a response, Israel's deputy prime minister confirmed Saturday.

The comments came a day after an Israeli newspaper reported that Israel has told Syrian leaders it is willing to give up the captured Golan Heights as part of a peace deal that would require Syria to distance itself from Iran's virulently anti-Israel regime.

Deputy Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz, speaking Saturday to Israel Radio, confirmed that a message was sent to Syria, but would not describe the content in detail.

"In light of the tensions in the current period, and considering the fact that in the past ... the Syrians sent messages that they want peace, I thought and I still think today that a secret channel is one of the channels for checking intentions and expectations," Mofaz said.

"And such an approach, in a secret channel, was done. And this was said clearly by the prime minister's office. At this stage, there is no Syrian response, or any comment on this issue."

Mofaz said he considered a back channel to be important, noting that Israeli peace agreements with other Arab countries started in such a way.

He said Syria seemed to be ambivalent about peace talks with Israel. "At the beginning, they (the Syrians) speak about their desire to renew talks and the process, and after messages are sent, there is no answer," he said. At this stage, he said, Israel is not sure what Syria's intentions are.