WASHINGTON, Jan 11: US President George W. Bush rejected last year an Israeli request to provide sophisticated, deep-penetration bombs to attack Iran’s underground nuclear enrichment facilities, the US media reported on Sunday.

The Bush administration also rebuffed Israel’s plan to fly through Iraqi airspace to reach the Iranian territory.

The Israelis had not proposed a specific date for an attack and it is not clear how far into the planning stage was the request made.

President Bush, in an attempt to soften his refusal, told the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that he had authorised a new covert action to sabotage Iran’s uranium enrichment programme.

Three major US media outlets — The Washington Post, New York Times and CNN — reported the Israeli request and the US denial, attributing their information to unidentified Pentagon officials.

According to these reports, Israel approached the White House in early 2008 with three requests for an attack on Iran’s main nuclear complex.

Israel wanted specialised bunker-busting bombs, equipment to help refuel planes making flights into Iran and permission to fly over Iraq to reach the major nuclear complex at Natanz, the site of Iran’s only known uranium enrichment plant.

The White House “deflected” the first two requests and denied the last, fearing that an American involvement in an attack on Iran could create more problems for US soldiers in Iraq.