Iran nuclear chief in India talks

India's Foreign Minister Natwar Singh met Mr Larijani

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, has met top Indian leaders as part of an effort to build support for its controversial nuclear programme.

Mr Larijani met India's foreign minister and national security advisor and is due to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh later on Wednesday.

He said Iran was looking to enhance its "strategic cooperation" in the region.

Iran recently resumed uranium enrichment at one of its plants despite strong US and European opposition.

The focus of our negotiations with India was on strategic relations Ali Larijani

But Mr Larijani said that Iran had not violated any international regulations by restarting operations at the Uranium Conversion Plat at Isfahan.

"We are fully committed and bound by international regulations in the nuclear field," he said.

"We have accepted and signed the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. The work at the Isfahan facility is being done under the supervision of the IAEA inspectors."

India

India, which conducted nuclear tests in 1998, has not openly criticised Iran but said that it should abide by its international obligations.

The two countries enjoy good relations and have been focussed on a possible project to pipe natural gas from Iran through Pakistan to India.

"The focus of our negotiations with India was on strategic relations, particularly in the field of energy and, more particularly, on a natural gas pipeline and the liquefied natural gas supply to India," the Associated Press quotes him as saying.

But correspondents say the pipeline project is unlikely to go ahead without approval from the United States.