Iran, Japan to Continue Consultations
According To Iran News,Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Seyed Abbas Araqchi described recent talks between Tehran and Tokyo as “heavy and intensive” and said the consultations will continue.
In remarks on Saturday, Araqchi said pointed to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s recent trip to Japan and said the two countries marked the 90th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations.
He further said the Iranian president and the Japanese prime minister met three times this year in Tehran, New York, and Tokyo.
“Very heavy and intensive talks were held last night, and bilateral, regional and international issues, as well as issues related to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and US sanctions, were discussed,” Araqchi said.
The two countries agreed to continue the consultations, the Iranian deputy foreign minister went on to say.
Heading a high-ranking delegation, President Rouhani paid a visit to the Japanese capital to hold talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other senior officials of the country on issues of mutual interest.
The visit came against the backdrop of increased tensions between Iran and the US with Washington imposing new sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
The US has ratcheted up pressure on Iran since last year after withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Since then, the administration of US President Donald Trump has been trying to reduce Iran’s oil exports to “zero,” and has sent an aircraft carrier strike group, a bomber squad, an amphibious assault ship, and a Patriot missile battery to the Middle East to try to stack up pressure on Tehran.
Iranian officials, however, have dismissed such moves as psychological warfare, saying the country has its own ways of circumventing the American bans.
