Georgia would be an ideal bridgehead for a U.S. invasion of Iran, Russia''s NATO envoy said Wednesday.

The United States and Israel have consistently refused to rule out the possibility of military action against Iran over its refusal to halt its uranium enrichment.

At a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels Dmitry Rogozin said that Russian intelligence had obtained information indicating that the Georgian military infrastructure could be used for logistical support of U.S. troops if they launched an attack on Iran.

"This is another reason why Washington values Saakashvili''s regime so highly," Rogozin said, adding that the United States had already started "active military preparations on Georgia''s territory" for an invasion of Iran.

"Georgia''s president is ready to make his nation a virtual hostage of a risky military gamble," he said.

Iran has been in a prolonged diplomatic standoff with the West over the country''s nuclear program.

The Islamic Republic is currently under three sets of relatively mild UN Security Council sanctions for defying demands to halt uranium enrichment, which it says it needs purely for electricity generation despite Western accusations that the program is geared toward weapon production.

Tehran has stated that the United States and Israel lack the ability to attack Iran to try to destroy its nuclear installations, and promises a powerful retaliation to any act of aggression against the country.