Iran's Hassan Rouhani to visit Japan amid heightened tensions with US

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will arrive in Japan on December 20 for a two-day visit amid heightened tension between Tehran and Washington. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will meet Rouhani to resolve Iran’s nuclear impasse with the United States after Washington pulled out from 2015 nuclear deal and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran.

Diplomatic efforts to ease tensions

Japan’s chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, said that Tokyo continues to support diplomatic efforts for easing tensions in the Middle East. According to media reports, Rouhani has planned to tell Abe that his regime would not oppose the deployment of Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces in the Middle East after it had rejected the presence of foreign forces in the region fearing insecurity for oil and shipping. But Tokyo won’t be part of a US-led coalition to ensure maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz.

Read: Iran Ready For Nuclear Talks If US Lifts Sanctions, Says Rouhani

Earlier, the Iranian President said that the country was ready to hold nuclear talks with the United States on the condition that they lift the “unlawful” sanctions. Rouhani, referring to his recent visit to New York, claimed that he was ready to have a meeting within an hour of the lifting of all sanctions but the US wanted to hold the meeting first and then lift sanctions.

Read: Hassan Rouhani Says 'enemy Conspiracy' Defeated In Iran Amid Protests

"I hereby announce that whenever the United States is ready to lift all illegal and unjust sanctions, Iran and P5+1 leaders will meet right away, and we have no problem in this regard," said Rouhani. Iran has been adamant on its demand to lift sanctions to return to nuclear talks with P5+1, the five permanent members of United Nations Security Council plus Germany. 

Rouhani had blamed Israel for influencing the US to exit the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal. “Saudi Arabia and the Zionist Regime were the key factors in influencing the US to withdraw from the JCPOA and mounting pressures against Iran," he said.

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(With inputs from agencies)