The latest developments with Iran’s nuclear program reinforce the case for deploying a missile shield to protect Europe from attacks, Jung told Reuters in an interview Thursday.

The United States wants to build a radar station in the Czech Republic and a missile battery in Poland as a shield against possible nuclear attacks from what it calls "rogue states," namely Iran and North Korea.

Timely precautions

The controversial plan has met with opposition among the ruling coalition in Germany, as well as in Russia and central Europe. Jung, a Christian Democrat, is the first high-ranking German official to speak out strongly in favor of the missile shield plan.

"Timely precautions must be taken against the foreseeable increase of the range of offensive missiles of certain problem states, even if it concerns long-term developments," Jung told Reuters.

Though the minister avoided naming Iran directly in the interview, it was clear that he had Iran as well as North Korea in mind.

When asked how close he thought Iran was to constructing a nuclear weapon, the defense minister said, "According to expert assessments, Iran is years away from that point." He added that it was still possible to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power through democracy.

Hope for diplomacy

"We can do everything possible to prevent Iran from successfully combining long-range missile and atomic weapons," said Jung. "And I'm hopeful that we -- the United States, Europe, Russia and China -- can achieve this diplomatically."

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced on Monday that his country was now capable of enriching uranium on an "industrial scale."

Despite UN appeals for the suspension of Iran's uranium enrichment program, Tehran has insisted that its nuclear activities are intended to generate energy.