Shinzo Abe visits Tehran to help 'ease' Iran-US tensions but officials say Japan's PM will only play role of neutral intermediary
Addressing a cabinet meeting ahead of the visit, Rouhani said Iran's leaders and people were united in their view that "the main culprit is America. Not a single individual doubts it."Tehran is locked in a bitter standoff with Washington after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal in May last year.
"Amid concerns over growing tension in the Middle East and with the attention of the international community on the issue, Japan wishes to do its best towards peace and stability in the region," Abe told reporters before leaving for Tehran. Abe discussed "the situation in Iran" in a telephone call with Trump on Tuesday, a Japanese government spokesman said.
"He might touch upon the subject [of mediation] but that does not necessarily mean he is delivering a message" from Washington, he added.Abe won Trump's blessing for the mediation mission when the US president visited Tokyo last month.
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