Iran's foreign minister visited Japan on Monday for the first time since 2019 to meet his opposite number, officials said, with a meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also reportedly on the cards.
The purpose of the rare visit by Hossein Amir-Abdollahian to a G7 member country was not announced, but reports said Japan would press Iran to stop supplying Russia with arms.
Amir-Abdollahian will meet with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, the Japanese foreign ministry said in a statement.
Amir-Abdollahian would also make a courtesy visit to Kishida, private broadcaster TBS reported.
TBS, citing unnamed government sources, said Japan would raise the issue of arms exports to Russia.
Japan and Iran have traditionally kept friendly ties despite key Tokyo ally Washington's tense relations with Tehran.
Iran used to be a major oil exporter to resource-poor Japan, but volumes dropped sharply in recent years due to US economic sanctions on the Middle Eastern country.
Hayashi and Amir-Abdollahian have held telephone talks in the past, most recently in April this year.
In the April talks, Hayashi expressed Japan's support for the 2015 nuclear accord and urged Iran to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog.
Amir-Abdollahian's visit to current G7 head Japan is the first visit by an Iranian top diplomat since December 2019 and the first under President Ebrahim Raisi.
The 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and six major powers -- including Russia and China -- was aimed at scaling down Iran's activities in that sector in order to allay fears it was developing atomic weapons.
But the United States pulled out of the deal under former president Donald Trump and efforts to revive it under President Joe Biden have faltered, while Tehran has expanded its nuclear work.
© 2023 AFP
14 Comments
Login to comment
Mr Kipling
An accord that Iran kept to but the US under Zionist pressure broke unilaterally.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Tell them to dismantle their Quds force while they are at it.
Mr Kipling
Taiwanischina...
Sore loser?
Just because they trained and led the Iraqi militias that kick the US out of Iraq?
TaiwanIsNotChina
No country should be running terrorist training camps. You don't like when the CIA does it, so why should Iran be allowed to do so?
TaiwanIsNotChina
Oh, and btw, the US is still in Iraq.
Marc Lowe
It is nice to hear that Amir-Abdollahian will make a courtesy visit to Kishida. Perhaps they will discuss the repatriation of all the Iranians who came to Japan in the 1990s in addition to the usual geopolitical schmoozing. Japan has much to teach Iran when it comes to nuclear power and atomic weapons. It is with high hopes that the discourse between the Iranian representative and Japanese counterpart will bring the two nations closer. Iran could really help the faltering Japanese economy if they give Japan a break on the price of oil.
TaiwanIsNotChina
But still there, showing the Iraqi leadership is 1) not in the tank for Iran and 2) more foresighted than your anti-Americanism will ever allow you to be.
PolarStar
Perhaps Japan could suggest that Iran apologize for shooting down the ukrainian passenger plane on the 8 January 2020, killing all 176 passengers and crew aboard and shows its remorse by stop supplying Shahed drones to Russia which they use it to kill innocent Ukrainien civilians.
Mr Kipling
PolarStar..
The Iranians have apologized but we are still waiting for the US to apologize for shooting down an Iranian passenger plane (Iranair 655) in 1988 killing 290 passengers and crew.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Reagan apologized and 61.8 million dollars was paid out during the Clinton administration.
Mr Kipling
Again facts matter...
the U.S. government did not admit legal liability or formally apologize to Iran, it agreed to pay US$61.8 million on an ex gratia basis in compensation to the families of the Iranian victims. And awarded the captain of the ship that shot down a civilian aircraft on its regular flight schedule a medal.
TaiwanIsNotChina
I'm sorry. All I'm hearing is that $61.8 million was paid out. If Iran wants nice words, it can stop with the nukes and the terrorism.