Japan Voices Support for Removal of Sanctions on Iran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Yoshimasa Hayashi voiced his country’s support for the Vienna talks on the termination of the sanctions against Iran and the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal.
In a telephone conversation with his Iranian counterpart on Thursday, Hayashi expressed Japan’s backing for the ongoing negotiations in Vienna on the revival of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and the lifting of the sanctions on Iran.
He also stressed the need for all negotiating parties to honor their commitments and seize the opportunity available for the achievement of an agreement.
Hailing the significant and historical relations between Tokyo and Tehran, the Japanese foreign minister said there exist suitable grounds for the enhancement of economic relations by removing the obstacles.
He also invited Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian to pay a visit to Japan.
For his part, Amirabdollahian welcomed the promotion of cooperation between the two countries in various fields.
He also expressed hope to take the time to visit Japan in the near future in order to weigh plans for the expansion of relations with the “old friend” in all fields.
The Iranian foreign minister also expressed gratitude to Japan for its support for the Vienna talks, reiterating that Iran is ready to strike a good, sustainable and reliable agreement.
Iran and the remaining participants to the JCPOA have been holding talks in Vienna since April last year with the aim of reviving the deal by bringing the US into full compliance.
The US left the JCPOA in May 2018 under former president Donald Trump. The Vienna talks began on a promise by Trump’s successor, Joe Biden, to rejoin the deal and repeal the so-called maximum pressure campaign against Iran. Biden, however, has so far failed to undo Trump’s own undoing of Barack Obama’s Iran policy, which led to the JCPOA in June 2015.
The eighth round of the Vienna talks began on December 27 with a focus on the removal of all sanctions that the United States had imposed on Iran after its unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA. The US is not allowed to directly attend the talks due to its pullout in 2018 from the deal with Iran.