Zarif Plans to Visit Japan to Discuss US Initiative in Hormuz: Report
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is expected to visit Japan later this month at the earliest for talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Foreign Minister Taro Kono, local Japanese media reported.
Zarif is likely to exchange views with Japanese leaders on a US-led maritime security initiative, which claims to be aimed at ensuring safety in waterways including the Strait of Hormuz, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported.
Japan has been asked by the United States to take part in the initiative, but the Japanese government is cautiously considering how to respond to the request. Tokyo instead hopes to contribute to easing tensions between Washington and Tehran using Japan’s traditional friendly relationship with Iran, according to the report.
The Japanese government is hoping that Abe will hold talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in late September.
The United States has announced plans to form a coalition to supposedly protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz from what it calls an Iranian threat following a series of mysterious attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman.
Washington has accused Iran of having a hand in those attacks, a claim Tehran has strongly rejected. Tehran has warned that such sabotage operations may be part of a general ploy to target Iran amid increasing regional tensions.
The US has asked its allies, including Germany, Japan, France, Britain and Israel, to join the coalition.
The call has, however, not been warmly received, with Israel and Britain becoming the only parties which have said flat out that they would join the alliance.
