"We need to do everything possible, and perhaps the impossible, to start new talks with Iran," Lavrov told journalists in Paris.
The minister said the issue of Iran's nuclear program had been discussed at a Russian-French security cooperation council meeting on Tuesday. "But no decision was made," Lavrov said.
However, he said the countries were both of the opinion that new schemes to resolve the issue were the way forward, commenting that, "Innovative approaches [to the problem] should be looked for."
The UN Security Council passed a resolution on March 3 imposing a third round of economic sanctions against Iran over its refusal to halt uranium enrichment.
Under the new sanctions, the accounts of certain Iranian companies and banks will be frozen, and goods leaving and entering the Islamic Republic will be subjected to inspections. In addition, travel bans have been imposed on five Iranian officials involved in nuclear projects.
The diplomatic standoff between Iran and the West, which at times has threatened to take on a military nature, began almost six years ago over suspicions that Tehran was secretly developing atomic weapons. Tehran has always maintained that it needs nuclear technology for electricity generation only. Two previous rounds of UN sanctions were imposed on Tehran in December 2006 and March 2007.
The decision by the UN Security Council to impose a new round of sanctions came despite a report by the U.S. intelligence community late last year stating that Iran had ceased attempts to produce a nuclear weapon in 2003.
