He stressed that economic restrictions only worsen the situation.
"I am ready for dialogue with Europeans regarding our cooperation with Russia. Let's engage in dialogue and leave sanctions [aside]. Sanctions only make problems worse. They have never helped solve the problem, at least [not in relations] with Iran. My statement is this: forget about sanctions! They have not worked in the past, they are not working now and they will not work in the future," Araghchi said as quoted by the ILNA news agency.
In 2015, the United Kingdom, Germany, China, Russia, the United States, France and Iran concluded a nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which offered sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on Iran's nuclear program. The United States, under President Donald Trump, withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and reinstated sanctions on Tehran. In response, Iran announced a gradual reduction in its commitments under the deal, abandoning restrictions on nuclear research, centrifuges and uranium enrichment levels.