"We do not consider an attack on Iran to have any sense, but if it takes place, the aggressors will receive a painful lesson, and their actions will cause harm to the entire region," said Larijani.
Larijani, referring to U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan, went on to say that, "Experience has shown us that they (the U.S.) can start things, but not finish them."
The refusal of Germany to take part in a new round of sanctions against Iran has forced the White House to consider the option of strikes on Iran in the next eight to nine months, said the U.S. TV channel, Fox, September 11, quoting a source within the Bush administration.
The U.N.'s five permanent members, plus Germany, have been attempting for nearly two years to use sanctions to persuade Iran to drop disputed nuclear work. So far, the policy has had little or no success.
The United States, which has had no regular diplomatic contact with Iran since the 1979 storming of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, has been the main exponent of sanctions.
Larijani also went on to predict that Iraq will not allow the U.S. to build a new military base close to Iran's borders.
"The Americans will suffer from coming closer to Iranian borders, but the Iraqi government's approach is important here, and they openly told us they would not have them (the U.S.) build a military base in Iraq," Larijani told journalists.
The U.S. military authorities in Iraq said last Monday they had plans to build a military base not far from the border with Iran in the Wasit province of southern Iraq. The U.S. military representatives say the base will prevent both weapons and fighters from crossing into Iraq from Iran.
