Iran has "special interest" in Gulf stability, Zarif tells Japan
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told his Japanese
counterpart Taro Kono on Tuesday that his country has a "special
interest" in securing stability in the Arabian Gulf.
At the outset of their talks in Yokohama, near Tokyo, Kono said,
"We are worried about tensions in the Middle East, and we hope to make
some diplomatic efforts to ease tensions."
In response, Zarif underscored the need to engage in bilateral
and regional consultations, saying that Iran and Japan both have a special
interest in the security of the energy market as well as security and stability
in the Arabian Gulf.
The foreign ministers' talks came at a time when the United
States seeks to garner support for a coalition to patrol ships transiting the
Strait of Hormuz, amid intensifying tensions in the region.
After their meeting, Kono told reporters he and Zarif, who has
been on a whirlwind tour that took him to France on Sunday and China on Monday,
agreed that their counties will continue to closely communicate with each other
to reduce tensions in the Middle East.
But Kono declined to elaborate further, citing their promise not
to disclose the content of their discussions.
Kono, however, said he repeated Japan's position that Iran
should comply with a landmark 2015 international deal that placed limits on its
nuclear program in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.
Kono said, "I called for (Iran's) immediate return to the
commitment of the nuclear deal," formally known as the Joint Comprehensive
Plan of Action, adding that the country should "refrain from taking steps
that could undermine it."
Iran has said it is enriching and stockpiling uranium past the
agreed levels after U.S. President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the
deal last year.
Zarif will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on
Wednesday in Yokohama, according to the premier's office.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads after a string
of attacks on tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow sea lane through
which about a fifth of the world's oil passes, that Washington has blamed on
Tehran.