Sir John Sawers, the head of the MI6 British spy agency, said that Iran is likely to obtain a nuclear weapon by 2014, making an Israeli or American strike on the Islamic Republic more likely by then, The Daily Telegraph reported on Friday.

“The Iranians are determinedly going down a path to master all aspects of nuclear weapons; all the technologies they need,” the spy chief is quoted as saying. “It’s equally clear that Israel and the United States would face huge dangers if Iran were to become a nuclear weapon state.

According to the report, Sir John made his views known in "Civil Service Live," a meeting of senior civil servants, a week earlier, during which he credited covert MI6 operations from preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons earlier on. Without intervention, he is quoted as saying, Iran may have gone nuclear as early as 2008.

According to the report, the UK has worked to ensure international sanctions against the Islamic Republic were introduced and implemented, and ran operations to slow the nuclear program's pace.

“I take great pride in the fact that, in the last ten years, over a number of jobs, I’ve been involved in an issue of global concern, and I feel that I as an individual [have made] an impact in the outcome of events,” he said.

The European Union banned Iranian oil imports as well as providing insurance for vessels carrying Iranian oil July 1, and US sanctions have limited Iran's major trading partners from buying Iranian crude.

At least four scientists associated with Iran's nuclear program have been assassinated since 2010, most recently in January this year. Iran has blamed Israel, the UK and the United states for the killings, and more recently lashed out against France and Germany as well. Washington has denied any role in the killings, while Israel has declined to comment.

Iran denies Western accusations of a covert agenda to develop a nuclear weapon, insisting it wants to stockpile enriched uranium solely to generate more electricity for a rapid growing population and radio isotopes for medical treatment.

Talks between world powers and Iran to resolve the standoff have so far failed to secure a breakthrough.

*Reuters contributed to this report.