Japan's Abe to visit Iran amid tensions with U.S.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit Iran for a two-day trip from June 12, owing to rising tensions in the Persian Gulf between Washington and Tehran over an international nuclear agreement, the government said Thursday.

Japan's Prime Minister Abe Shinzo [File Photo: IC]

At a meeting of members of a lower house steering committee, it was provisionally decided that amid tensions in the region, Abe would visit Iran with the prime minister believing he could help deescalate the situation as Japan has friendly ties with both Washington and Tehran.

Abe, according to the outline of the plan, will meet with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani.

During the talks, the Japanese premier is likely to underscore Japan's hope that Iran sticks to an international nuclear accord inked in 2015 between Iran and six major powers.

U.S. President Donald Trump, however, has since pulled the United States out of the international nuclear deal and restored sanctions against Tehran which were scraped under the 2015 deal.

Before Abe's trip, government sources said that Foreign Minister Taro Kono will also visit Iran to hold talks with his counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Last month, Japan formally expressed its concern over the mounting tensions in the Persian Gulf, and convened talks in Tokyo held between Abe and Zarif.

Abe, at the time, said the issue was becoming increasingly more tense, but maintained that Japan wanted to continue to develop amicable ties with Iran.