Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei advised the government last July not to rely on a European package to protect Tehran against U.S. sanctions, after U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from a nuclear deal and reimposed penalties.

The release of the speech shows while President Hassan Rouhani was trying to save the nuclear deal with European powers, who remained committed despite the U.S. exit in 2018, Khamenei was not optimistic about the efforts.

The Europeans would naturally say they are protecting Iranian interests with their package "but (the Iranian government) should not make this a main issue," Khamenei was quoted as saying by his official website.