Iran says it is working on an agreement to sell oil to Europe in face of returning US sanctions that ban purchases of oil from the country.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters in New York that the Islamic Republic was close to a deal with Europe over oil sales.

Zarif said this was part of Iran’s efforts to break efforts by the administration of US President Donald Trump to cut off the country’s revenues.

“This is for us to sell our oil and get the proceeds,” he was quoted as saying by US media. The Iranian minister further emphasized that under UN resolutions passed when the 2015 nuclear deal was signed with Tehran, countries would have the legal right to trade with the Islamic Republic.