TEHRAN, Aug 19 (AFP) - Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, denounced what he said was the "cowboy culture" of US leaders and their threats against Iran, the official IRNA news agency reported Monday.

"US leaders' spirit of adventure is inspired by their cowboy culture," Khamenei said during talks here Sunday with Iranian diplomats.

"If the Americans feel that they are confronted with a unified nation, they will hesitate to launch an adventure in Iran", Khamenei said, underlining that "it is necessary to take the US threats seriously.

"These threats have existed since the Islamic revolution, and they do not mean that a US attack is certain, but the realization of these threats depends on our behaviour", he said.

The United States is trying to "destroy the Iranian regime but it is a very difficult job", he added.

Iran remains the target of US-led economic sanctions and was listed by US President George W. Bush as part of an "axis of evil" along with Iraq and North Korea earlier this year.

kd/fm/jmc/al Nampa-AFP WEB story ENDS (NAMPA 191019)