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Japan PM Shinzo Abe arrives in Iran in bid to ease tensions as mediator

12 June 2019 16:29 (UTC +04:00)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in Tehran on Wednesday as he tries to position himself as a mediator between Iran and the United States to help reduce heightened tensions between them, APA reports citing Koydo News.

Abe, the first sitting Japanese prime minister to visit Iran since Takeo Fukuda in 1978, will hold talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani later in the day.

Abe's itinerary also includes a meeting with Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday. It will be the first time a Japanese prime minister has met with the supreme leader, who ultimately determines the country's policy direction.

Before leaving Tokyo, Abe said he wants to have candid talks with the Iranian leaders, amid growing worries in the Middle East and beyond about the risk of conflict between Tehran and Washington.

"There are concerns over rising tensions in the Middle East. While the situation attracts the attention of the international community, for peace and stability in the region Japan wants to play a role as much as it can," Abe told reporters at Tokyo's Haneda airport before departing for a two-day visit to Tehran.

"To ease tensions, I'd like to have a frank exchange of views" by taking advantage of Tokyo's traditionally friendly ties with Tehran, Abe said.

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif held talks in Tehran a few hours before Abe's arrival.

Abe's symbolic visit comes as Washington has left the door open for dialogue despite its abrupt withdrawal last year from an international nuclear accord and the reinstating of economic sanctions. Japan is not a member of the deal but has been a supporter.

The trip gives Abe a rare opportunity to raise his diplomatic profile ahead of a Group of 20 summit in Japan on June 28 and 29 before an election for the upper house this summer.

The challenges for Abe appear to be manifold, including smoothing the way for potential dialogue between Iran and the United States, Japan's longtime security ally, by helping bridge the rift between them.

But Abe would not simply be a mediator, Japanese officials say, as Tokyo's aim is to ensure stability in the Middle East, a critical factor for resource-scarce Japan. Iran had long been one of the major oil exporters until the United States ended its sanctions waivers granted to Iranian crude buyers.

Before making the trip official, Abe secured backing from U.S. President Donald Trump, who was on a state visit to Japan in late May, for his efforts to reach out to Iran.

Abe also spoke by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the crown princes of Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.

Tensions in the Middle East have risen in recent weeks, roughly a year after Trump's decision to leave the international nuclear accord that led to the lifting of economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for its curbing of nuclear activities.

Iran said in May it was suspending some of its commitments under the deal. Tehran set a 60-day deadline to negotiate new terms, saying it would keep more enriched uranium than allowed under the agreement initially reached with the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China.

Washington has dispatched an aircraft carrier strike group and bombers to the Persian Gulf and decided to send additional U.S. troops to the region.

Trump's more aggressive approach to Tehran has prompted a delicate balancing act by Japan, which marks the 90th anniversary of its diplomatic relations with Iran this year.

Since returning to power in 2012, Abe has held seven meetings with Rouhani.