TOKYO, Dec 20 (NNN-AGENCIES) — President Hassan Rouhani will make the first visit to Japan by an Iranian head of state for two decades on Friday, as Tokyo seeks to mediate between Tehran and Washington amid spiralling nuclear tensions.
The trip comes after violent protests last month over petroleum price hikes in Iran, as Washington-imposed sanctions over its nuclear programme hit the Iranian economy.
The United States re-imposed crippling sanctions on Iran in 2018 after withdrawing from an 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, Prime Minister Shinzo 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.
Abe travelled to Tehran in June to try to ease tension between the United States and Iran in the Gulf.
Japan was formerly a major buyer of Iranian crude but stopped purchases to comply with the US sanctions.
Rouhani comes to Japan from Kuala Lumpur where he called on Muslim countries at a summit to band together to fight US “economic terrorism”.
Abe and Rouhani are expected to inspect a guard of honour before summit talks and a dinner.
They are not scheduled to brief reporters after the talks.
