ST PETERSBURG (Sputnik) – Tehran began stepping up international trade and investment cooperation after reaching a historic deal on its nuclear program to ensure its peaceful nature in exchange for the suspension of international anti-Iran sanctions, in particular on its oil sector, in July 2015.
"We have always had strategic relations with Russia. We have had excellent political relations, and this will continue. But we are lacking economic cooperation, unfortunately. There are lots of potential, both countries are energy countries. We can have a broader economic cooperation, in different areas, also on trilateral basis [with European partners]," the minister said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
In mid-January, the sanctions were removed after the International Atomic Energy Agency verified the Islamic Republic’s compliance with the nuclear agreement.