Iran’s deputy foreign minister says there have been constructive meetings with European officials on ways to offset US bans.

An Iranian deputy foreign minister has commended the political stances of the European Union in supporting the country in face of US sanctions, but criticized the rate of the bloc's progress towards the enactment of mechanisms to keep a nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic alive. 

A political party in France has called on Paris to consider establishing a special bank for trade with Iran and Russia as part of a larger plan to bypass the US sanctions on the countries.