Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey says her country does not need Washington's permission to advance its strategic interests.

"Switzerland is an independent country that has its own strategic interests to defend," Calmy-Rey said after the signing of a multibillion-dollar gas deal.

She shrugged off US criticism of her trip to Iran, in which she met the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The Swiss minister added that the Alpine republic, which excessively attempted to bring the deal to fruition, considers the agreement with Tehran a success for both diplomacy and business.

Her remarks comes a day after the US embassy in Bern warned Switzerland against a 25-year natural gas contract between Swiss energy trading company EGL and state-owned National Iranian Gas Export Company.

MD/HGH