ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in Iran on Wednesday for a two-day visit in the hope of mediating in Tehran’s escalating dispute with Washington.
The visit comes as Iran’s economy is squeezed under US sanctions in a spat over Tehran’s nuclear program and perceived interference in the region.
It also comes as Washington boosts its military presence in the Persian Gulf region to ward off unspecified Iranian threats to US personnel in the Middle East.
Met on arrival by Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, Abe is the first Japanese prime minister to visit Iran since Takeo Fukuda made the trip in 1978 – prior to the Islamic Revolution.
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Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (C) waves to well-wishers upon his departure at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, June 12, 2019. Photo: Japan OUT / JIJI PRESS / AFP
“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 in Tokyo before leaving for Tehran, according to Japan’s Kyodo News.
“Based on traditional friendly ties between Japan and Iran, I would like to have candid exchanges of opinions with President Rouhani and supreme leader Khamenei towards easing tensions,” he added.
Why is Abe in Iran?
Washington withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in May 2018, arguing it didn’t go far enough in preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. It also accused Iran of malign influence in the region.
US President Donald Trump reimposed a raft of sanctions targeting Iran’s economy, its lucrative oil sector, and its powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which Washington has designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
A US aircraft carrier group, B-52 bombers, and hundreds of troops have also been dispatched to the region, prompting fears the dispute could escalate into war.
Japan was a major importer of Iranian oil until the US scrapped its sanctions waivers in April, forcing Tokyo to find an alternative supplier.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (L) and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attend a session of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2014. File photo: Michel Euler / APThe Japanese PM heads to Iran just weeks after Tokyo hosted Trump for bilateral talks. During their meeting, Abe offered to visit Iran’s leaders to help reduce tensions.
Abe also held a phone call with Trump on Tuesday, a spokesman for the Japanese PM said Tuesday, according to AFP.
Trump has said his door is open to negotiations with Tehran, but Iranian leaders have said they will not submit to talks while crippling US sanctions are in place.
It is unclear whether Abe’s shuttle diplomacy will break the impasse.
What’s on the agenda?
Abe left Tokyo’s Haneda Airport early on Tuesday and is due to arrive in Tehran shortly before 4pm local time.
He is expected to hold talks with Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday evening and meet with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei the following morning.
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono met with his Iranian counterpart Zarif earlier on Wednesday.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif (L) meets with his Japanese counterpart Taro Kono in Tehran, June 12, 2019. Photo: Atta Kenare / AFP
Will the visit help?
When the visit was first proposed in late May, Iran’s foreign ministry said Tehran is prepared to hear out the Japanese PM.
“I don’t want to use the term ‘mediation’ and expressing readiness to reduce tension, however we would listen to views of other countries that have good intentions and follow events in the region with concern,” Seyyed Abbas Mousavi, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, told reporters at the time.
Mousavi said the Japanese PM’s visit “could be a turning point in Iran-Japan relations”.
Iran's hardline student newspaper Farheekhtegan ran with a bold headline in both English and Farsi asking “How Can You Trust A War Criminal, Mr. Abe?”, June 12, 2019. Photo: Farheekhtegan / Telegram
Iran’s hardliners appear to be skeptical about the visit.
Farheekhtegan, a newspaper published by students at Islamic Azad University, published a bold front page on Wednesday featuring a mushroom cloud from a nuclear blast, referencing the US bombing of Japan’s Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II.
“How Can You Trust A War Criminal, Mr. Abe?” the newspaper asked in a headline in both English and Farsi, questioning the Japanese PM's friendship with the US president.
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