Sanctions against Iran should be used only as instruments of last resort, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.

"As for Iran, sanctions are always at our disposal. Veto is always at our disposal. However one should use the former and the latter only in extreme cases when crucial national interests are at stake, when crucial interests of the world community are at stake and when international peace and security are really under threat," Lavrov said in an interview with the Vesti-24 TV Channel.

Lavrov said that there were constructive elements in the Iranian answer to the proposals of the six nations -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.

"It is exactly on the basis of these elements that trusting contacts between Iranian representatives and Javier Solana are proceeding, and Solana is acting on behalf of the six nations. The contacts are continuing and we hope they will produce a result that will make it possible to resume negotiations," Lavrov said.

"There is a possibility to prevent sanctions. We want to prevent this although we are not against sanctions as such; sanctions cannot solve the problem, they will only aggravate it," Lavrov said.

He said that Russia would do everything to prevent a violation of nonproliferation.

Russia's parliamentary lower house, on Friday, ratified an international treaty for the prevention of nuclear terrorism.

Lavrov said that Russia's acceptance of the treaty would not affect its cooperation with Iran on nuclear energy, noting that their dealings were "transparent" and "legal."