Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Friday slammed the “irrational” withdrawal of the United States from the multinational nuclear deal on Tehran’s nuclear programme, as he met Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo.
Rouhani’s trip to Japan comes after deadly protests last month over petroleum price hikes in Iran, where the economy has been hit by Washington-imposed sanctions. “I strongly condemn the US for unilaterally and irrationally withdrawing” from the deal, said Rouhani, who became the first Iranian head of state to visit Japan for two decades. “I hope Japan and other countries will make efforts to maintain this deal.” Rouhani and Abe’s summit talks and a dinner were scheduled to last into Friday evening. The two leaders are not scheduled to brief reporters after the talks.
The US re-imposed crippling sanctions on Iran in 2018 after withdrawing from the international deal aimed at tackling the Islamic Republic’s nuclear programme. Iranian Government spokesman Ali Rabiei has played down the mediation aspect of the trip, saying the visit to Tokyo had “nothing to do with issues such as negotiations with America”.
However, he acknowledged that “our Japanese friends usually convey messages or initiatives, which we welcome... And seriously examine”. As a key US ally that also maintains close diplomatic and economic ties with Iran, Abe has tried to build bridges between the two rival powers. Last week, Abe said he would strive “as much as possible to ease tensions” in the Middle East, noting Japan’s alliance with Washington and “favourable relations” with Tehran.