Washington ? Defense Secretary Robert Gates asserted Sunday that the U.S. is prepared to take a range of actions against the Iranian nuclear program and told friends and foes not to fall for any perception Iran can catch Washington off guard.

Gates said a memo he wrote in January identified steps to be taken in defense planning after the Obama administration decided to increase pressure against Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

It was not, he insisted, a “wake-up call” that set off a scramble by an unprepared government, as was suggested by sources who disclosed the memo’s existence to The New York Times.

Gates released a statement saying his memo to the White House merely laid out an orderly and timely decision-making process as various agencies work together to make policy on Iran in the months ahead.