"No greater threat exists to the security of Israel, to the entire region, and indeed to the United States than a nuclear-armed Iran," Panetta said.

The Defense Secretary echoed President Obama's comments from his address to AIPAC on Sunday that the United States does not have a policy of containment and will keep all options on the table to stop Iran.

"We will keep all options, including military action on the table to prevent them from obtaining a nuclear weapon," Panetta stated.

In addition, Panetta highlighted the importance of the security cooperation between the two countries and reiterated that President Obama has continued to support security assistance despite fiscal constraints.

Lastly, Panetta told the AIPAC crowd that maintaining Israel's qualitative military edge over its enemies is "the cornerstone of this unprecedented defense cooperation."

"This is an ironclad pledge, which says that the United States will provide whatever support is necessary so that Israel can maintain military superiority against any state or coalition of states and non-state actors," Panetta said.