Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, Chairman of Iran's Expediency Discernment Council, said that Israel would never be able to launch an attack against Iran without United States' assistance, Tehran Times daily reported Tuesday.

"Israel cannot attack Iran on its own. If it attacks (Iran), it must be sure that the United States will join it, either at the beginning (of the war) or during (the war). Therefore, it needs the United States' permission," Hashemi-Rafsanjani was quoted as saying.

Now, the enemies have resorted to every ploy to strike a blow against the Islamic republic, but it is clear that they have pinned their hopes on the current situation, which has been created by sanctions and propaganda campaigns, so that they will feel no need for war with Iran, said an Iranian influential cleric.

Under political and economic pressures by the West over the controversial nuclear program of the Islamic republic, Iran's local currency has been depreciated against the foreign currencies significantly since the beginning of this year. The economy of the country has suffered from high inflation and in many cases the price of the commodities has risen more than 50 percent.

However, most of the Iranian hardliner officials still deny that the Western sanctions have hit the economy and decline to back down on the nuclear enrichment program and harsh rhetoric against the United States and Israel.

"We should prepare ourselves for any eventuality," Hashemi- Rafsanjani said, adding that, however, if Washington shows goodwill, Iran will have no problem with entering into a dialogue with the United States.

He added that all through his presidency, from 1989 to 1997, when reporters asked him about the relations with Washington, he answered, "As a first step, the U.S. should show goodwill because it started (showing) ill will and froze our assets."

"The majority of countries want to work with Iran. Our neighbors in the south and the north had been cooperating with us, " said an Iranian moderate cleric, maintaining that but, there are countries like the U.S. which, for certain reasons, Iran cannot have dealings with.

He added that "Diplomacy has a special language. One should not talk haphazardly (and) everybody should not allow himself to declare a strategy about the most important policies of the country. If we safeguard our foreign policy principles, the situation will become better," according to the daily.

The United States broke off diplomatic relations with Iran on April 7, 1980, after a group of Iranian students seized the U.S. embassy and captured some 60 U.S. diplomats in 1979. Among the diplomats 52 were held captive for 444 days in the hostage crisis.

Earlier this month, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said here Tuesday that direct talks with the United States on bilateral relations is "possible, but the conditions should be met."

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