Pakistan on Sunday denied remarks attributed to President Pervez Musharraf by a German magazine that Iran was "anxious" to develop nuclear weapons.

"The president was asked by German magazine whether or not Iran was anxious to develop a nuclear bomb. The president in response repeated the question and said 'I don't know," Foreign Office Spokesman Jalil Abbas Jilani Sunday said.

The clarification came after Iran on Sunday demanded an explanation from Pakistan over reported comments by President Pervez Musharraf.

In an interview with Germany's Der Spiegel news weekly published Saturday, Musharraf was quoted as saying that Iran was " very anxious to have the bomb."

"With this explanation and after my statement, the misunderstanding that has developed as a result of misreporting of the president's remarks should be removed," Jilani said.

He said some newspapers have wrongly interpreted President Musharraf's statement.

"The president has not made any such remarks, the way it was published in papers," the spokesman insisted.

Iran Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters Sunday that it was unlikely that Musharraf made the comment, saying Tehran is not seeking nuclear weapons and that it is not Pakistan's business to make such comments.

Source: Xinhua