Iran could respond anywhere to U.S. attack: envoy

MOSCOW (Reuters) - If the United States were to attack Iran, Tehran would retaliate immediately and could attack anywhere, Iran's ambassador to Moscow Gholamreza Ansari said on Tuesday.

"Should the U.S. make the mistake of attacking Iran, I am certain that the Iranian people will teach them a good lesson," Ansari told a news conference in Moscow, according to the Interfax news agency.

"We do not put any limits on where we will hit -- we may retaliate anywhere," Ansari added.

Tension has risen over Iran's nuclear program, pushing up the price of oil and the value of safe-haven assets such as bonds and gold.

The West fears Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons but Tehran says the program is only for electricity.

Vice President Dick Cheney has said all options are on the table after Iran's refusal to heed a U.N. deadline for halting uranium enrichment. An Iranian deputy foreign minister responded by saying Iran was prepared even for war.

Ansari said it was "possible" that the United States would attack Iran, Interfax reported. But he added: "We believe that this (U.S. threats) will turn out to be a psychological war."

The ambassador reiterated that Iran was prepared for war but said Tehran was ready for talks with Washington "on an equal basis" if the Americans were prepared to offer this.

Russia has supported initial U.N. sanctions on Iran in December but has voiced increasing concern lately about the repeated talk of possible U.S. military action against Tehran.

Senior officials in Moscow say they share the West's concerns about the dangers of Iran acquiring a nuclear bomb but do not believe this is likely soon and do not favor forcing Tehran into a corner on the issue.