Maintaining that India has the 'best' of relations with Iran, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has rejected suggestions that New Delhi's closeness with Tehran will impact its relationship with the US, saying its ties with one country is 'independent' of the other.

"Our relationship with one country does not depend on our relationship with other countries. It is independent of that," Mukherjee said on the Charlie Rose show on PBS.

"Our relationship with Iran is best on several issues. It is one of important suppliers of energy to us. About four million expatriates, Indians, are living around that region. Not Iran alone, around that region," he added.      

Mukherjee disagreed with the idea that India's relations with Iran posed a problem to the US, saying: "I do not consider so. We have made it quite clear both to Iran and the US that our relationship does not depend on the relationship or closeness with USA, or it will be affected because of relationship with Iran. These are totally independent stands."

On the Iranian nuclear issue, Mukherjee said Tehran had the right to pursue a civilian nuclear programme, albeit with 'obligations' under the NPT, of which it is a signatory.

On being asked if he believed Iran wants a nuclear weapon, Mukherjee said he was 'discussing this with them.'

"Even on Wednesday morning I had a discussion with the Iranian foreign minister, and we do believe that as we have every right to pursue a civilian nuclear programme for peaceful purposes, similarly, Iran has that right," he said.

"At the same time, as a signatory to NPT, it has its obligations� It has its obligations to the international community, because Iran signed NPT voluntarily. India did not sign. That is the difference," Mukherjee said.

He suggested that Iran 'satisfy' the UN atomic watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency on its nuclear programme 'in the interest of all of us.'

"We do not want another conflagration in our neighbourhood. Therefore, it would be better to resolve the problems through negotiations, however strenuous it may be," the minister said.