Japan expressed concern on Monday over Iran's advancing uranium enrichment program and the Middle East country's suspected supplying of combat drones to Moscow for Russia's war on Ukraine.
Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi raised the two issues during talks with his visiting Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, the foreign ministry in Tokyo said. A statement from the ministry said Hayashi appealed for Iran to act constructively in the matter but did not elaborate.
Iranian drones have been a key element of Russia’s continued war on Ukraine. Tehran has offered conflicting accounts about the drones — first denying Iran has supplied them to Russia and later claiming the unmanned aircraft were only sold before the Russian invasion.
However, the number of Iranian-made drones used in the conflict shows a steady supply of the bomb-carrying weapons. In June, the White House said Iran was providing Russia with materials to build a drone manufacturing plant east of Moscow as the Kremlin looks to lock in a consistent stream of weapons.
As U.S. ally and a member of the Group of Seven advanced nations, Japan has joined sanctions against Moscow while providing Ukraine with humanitarian support and non-lethal defense equipment, largely because of fear that Russia's invasion could embolden an already assertive China in Asia.
Iran’s state television said Amirabdollahian denied providing drones to Russia and insisted Tehran is focused on efforts for dialogue and finding a political solution to end the war. The report also quoted the top Iranian diplomat as saying the United States and the West should stop what he described as baseless accusations against Iran.
Hayashi also expressed serious concern about the expansion of Iran's nuclear activities and urged Tehran's full and unconditional cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the ministry added.
The ministry statement said Hayashi stressed Japan's support for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers that curbed Iran's enrichment in return for halting economic sanctions on Iran. In 2018, then-President Donald Trump pulled America out of the nuclear deal and restored crushing sanctions.
Since then, Iran's government has been galloping ahead with its nuclear program, openly exceeding the deal’s limits on uranium enrichment and stockpiling, and building a new nuclear facility so far underground as to likely be impervious to U.S. weapons.
Experts say Iran can now develop atomic bombs if it chooses to do so. A U.S. intelligence assessment released in July said Iran is not pursuing nuclear weapons at the moment but has ramped up activities that could help it develop them.
In talks with Hayashi, Amirabdollahian said Iran is seeking ways to reactivate the nuclear agreement through negotiations and expressed appreciation for Japanese diplomatic efforts, the ministry also said.
Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.
© Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
36 Comments
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piskian
Looks like the face of a man who's just sold some oil,to me.
deanzaZZR
Smiley Japanese faces for the visiting Iranian FM. Interesting.
obladi
I can't imagine what leverage Japan has over Iran other than money, which is not actually leverage at all.
TrevorPeace
"Suspected" of selling combat drones to Russia? There's already plenty of proof. And for Kishida to look so smiley-faced hosting a representative of an oppressive regime that supports Russia's hostilities against Ukraine is an insult.
shogun36
What is this? Picture day at the LDP offices?
First that woman with the 3900 yen a month raise papers and now some Iranians who have no idea who Kishi even is?
what? Did they have to fit every single photo opp in one day, so kish can go on another little trip to anywhere but Japan again?
on the Japanese tax payers money, of course.
cuddly
It's not like there never was concern.
Mark
Iran could do itself a lot of favors by being on the right side of history, I am hoping that this is the first step towards that.
Old Sausage
Again late! Even for concerns that cost nothing and require no setting of any infrastructure. I sincerely love you Japan (no sarcasm intended).
Sanjinosebleed
Iran raises concern over Japan's release of radioactive waste release I to the ocean and it's supply of supplies/weapons to Ukraine and Taiwan....
stormcrow
Iran is good cover for China to smuggle stuff into Russia.
deanzaZZR
@Mark Did we read the same article? The article reports that Iran is supplying weapons to Russia and is taking steps so it can quickly build nuclear weapons if it decides to do so.
kurisupisu
How is it that the Iranians are all without ties in the high heat and humidity but the Japanese are?
Cool Biz is just a platitude for J politicians
Stephen Chin
Why is Hosien Amir looking so happy when Fumio Kishida shakes his hand? Is he smiling off Iran's treachery supplying the Kremlin with drones
to kill Ukrainians?
Eastman
empty talk,iranian guy even did not hear empty phrases of that "PM" pictured...
real talk could be about something else,say oil or gas?
just pure business.
as same as in Qatar,Saudi Arabia and Dubai.
with a "great success" you can see at petrol stations in Japan nationwide.
indigo
Japan has nothing to say to IRAN. sovereign Iran's internal affair is not Japanese business.
Rodney
Biden will be be so angry about his puppet buying oil from Iran,
Mr Kipling
As they are free to do after the US unilaterally ended the agreement. An agreement that Iran was following to the letter.
Mr Kipling
Official press releases on both sides may have nothing in reality to what was actually discussed.
PTownsend
japan Inc need to develop clean energy alternatives soon so the country can become more independent and not have to rely heavily on states like Iran Saudi Arabia the. USA snd Russia any more
RichardPearce
PS, given that Zelensky's attack on a civilian tanker was carried out using an Iranian sea drone (unless of course you see superficial resemblance and an accusation not grounds for believing that drone was Iranian) did the Japanese representatives voice their concerns about Iran arming both sides?
WA4TKG
They just made a deal to export all the hash Iran is confiscating domestically and export it to Japan. That’s what they SHOULD be doing. Life would be so much more tolerable in Japan, like back in the 90’s when you used to see a lot of Iranian guys in Ueno Park / Ameyoko.
nosuke
Kishikun going to too many countries and wants a picture taken as he pose like some super star
indigo
Kishikun wants to pretend that he is working for the Japanese interest...
Rodney
We gave $8.6 billion to a country with no ties to japan, that kills its own citizens for speaking Russian. Now USA war to Iran?
TaiwanIsNotChina
Is that the sound of a SNAPing back of UN sanctions I hear? Why yes, I believe it is.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Ukraine and Taiwan haven't invaded anybody. Would like to see anybody with the cojones to tell Zelenskyy he is an invader to his face, though.
CigarCowboy
“japan Inc need to develop clean energy alternatives”
Not sure what this has to do with the story but Japan already has nuclear power and you can’t get any cleaner than that.
Japan doesn’t want Iran to give Russia drones then Japan should stop giving money to Ukraine.
Sanjinosebleed
TaiwanIsNotChinaToday 03:12 pm JST
Ukraine and Taiwan haven't invaded anybody. Would like to see anybody with the cojones to tell Zelenskyy he is an invader to his face, though.
get off the drugs muppet! Iran hasn’t invaded anyone either! Geez you shills are useless!
TaiwanIsNotChina
So simple logic here but I'll walk you through it: Iran supplies weapons to Russia which has invaded someone. Also you could say Iran has invaded Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen with irregular forces.
elephant200
Japan is speaking on behalf of America's anger. Every words spoken by Mr.Kishida was what Biden told him 24hours ago!
Sanjinosebleed
TaiwanIsNotChinaToday 05:25 pm JST
So simple logic here but I'll walk you through it: Iran supplies weapons to Russia which hasinvaded someone. Also you could say Iran has invaded Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen with irregular forces.
ummm the US is the only UNinvited country in Syria. Illegally occupying the northern oil rich section of the country….hmmm guess standards only go one way for you….
RichardPearce
Funny how America's numerous invasions aren't grounds for people viewing it, and the coup installed regimes it backs, with suspicion and concern.
Especially given that it is one of the holdouts not pledging no first use of nuclear weapons. The only nuclear weapons threat Russia has made is in the case of major attacks on Russia.
Strangerland
They are. America was disgraceful with their invasion of Iraq, and subsequent refusal to take any responsibility for it, nor punish anyone for the egregious actions taken against Iraqi citizens.
But that in no way justifies Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which is happening right now.
When you have a gaping wound that is bleeding, you don't focus your efforts on a scab somewhere else on your body.
TaiwanIsNotChina
Funny how zero US troops are in combat at the moment.
Also funny how the US is a primary target of terrorism, in many cases backed by your heroes, that will require instant retaliation.
Oh really? Wow, that is a tremendous increase in risk of major attack on Russia in the past year or so. I guess if you cynically claim drones heading for the Kremlin after its criminal invasion to be a major attack, you could contort yourself into claiming that.