Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has extended gratitude to India and Pakistan for their support to Tehran over its nuclear standoff, the official IRNA news agency reported on Friday.

"Pakistan's support for Iran's lawful rights in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is a token of the existing grave friendly ties between the two countries," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying.

He made the remarks during a phone conversation with his Pakistani counterpart Pervez Musharraf late Thursday.

Ahmadinejad said that he believed Islamabad's positions on the Iranian nuclear issue had created a brilliant perspective for bilateral relations in future.

In another phone conversation with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Ahmadinejad expressed his belief that India's support on Iran's nuclear case would greatly improve the bilateral relations.

"Adopting such constructive positions by India would lead to further deepening and continuation of bilateral ties," Ahmadinejad said.

Pakistan and India, two members of the IAEA Board of Governors, have openly voiced their opposition to a European move to refer Iran's nuclear case to the UN Security Council.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani, paid consecutive visits to Pakistan and India early this month, finalizing a deal of Iran's export of liquid natural gas to India through Pakistan.

The European Union (EU), the broker of the Iranian nuclear case since 2003, has been trying to press Tehran to abandon its efforts to build nuclear fuel cycles, including activities related to uranium enrichment.

Tehran, however, resumed its highly sensitive uranium conversion activities on Aug. 8 and refused to stop them before Sept. 19, a deadline set by the EU.

As a result, EU on Tuesday put forward a draft resolution on the Iranian nuclear issue to the ongoing meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors, calling to refer the case to the UN Security Council.

Due to extensive opposition within the IAEA, the EU has dropped its attempt to prompt an immediate referral.

The United States accuses Iran of developing nuclear weapons under the disguise of civil usage, a charge rejected by Tehran.

Source: Xinhua