Iran's Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani says the West is using reports of a possible war on Iran for political leverage in nuclear talks.

Larijani said the West has always taken advantage of such psychological warfare for political gain, adding that the recent saber rattling 'could be' part of the efforts to pursue the same objective.

"This is not the first time that Iran has been the target of such propaganda campaigns. I believe western countries are using the report as the 'stick' [in their carrot and stick policy] ahead of the upcoming talks on the nuclear package proposals," he added.

Larijani said that Iran's Parliament would welcome talks on the nuclear issue but stressed that negotiations should take place in a reasonable political climate.

Larijani warned that Iran is fully prepared to counter any measure adopted to endanger the Islamic Republic's security.

A recent New York Times report quoted Pentagon officials as saying that Israel orchestrated a military maneuver in early June as a rehearsal for a possible military attack on Iran.

Analysts describe the report as part of the western psychological warfare aimed at pressuring Iran into suspending its nuclear program.

CS/HGH