First Iranian FM visits Japan since 2019

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
7 Aug 2023 10:26

Iran's foreign minister Amir-Abdollahian making a visit to Japan for the first time since 2019.

Iranian Foreign Minister At that time Mohammad Javad Zarif, right, and his Japanese counterpart Taro Kono shake hands for media prior to their meeting, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, June 12, 2019 (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian visited Japan to meet his Japanese counterpart, Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi.

This visit marks the first time an Iranian foreign minister visits Japan since 2019.

The purpose of the visit was not announced, but it is reported that Japan is trying to persuade Iran to stop its alleged supplies of arms to Russia.

A courtesy meeting with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is on the agenda.

Japan and Iran have traditionally kept friendly ties despite being on opposite geopolitical ends from Washington.

Iran used to be a major oil exporter to resource-poor Japan, but volumes dropped sharply in recent years due to US economic sanctions on Iran.

Earlier this week, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman accused the United States of peddling a significant falsehood regarding Iran's nuclear program.

Nasser Kanaani expressed this sentiment on social media, highlighting the irony that the US, as the only nation to have used nuclear weapons, is now pointing fingers at Iran.

Kanaani emphasized that the US has a dark history of deploying nuclear weapons as instruments of mass destruction and supporting an illegitimate regime that possesses the largest nuclear arsenal in the region.

He went on to question whether such a country is qualified to champion a ban on nuclear weapons and dismissed the US claims about Iran's nuclear program as a deliberate repetition of an enormous lie.

"Is it fit to be the flag bearer of a nuclear weapons ban?" he asked. "Its claims about Iran’s nuclear program are a deliberate repetition of a big lie."

The devastating impact of the US' use of nuclear weapons was felt on August 6, 1945, when the world witnessed the atomic bomb's catastrophic effects on Hiroshima, resulting in the destruction of the entire city and the loss of 140,000 lives. Three days later, another bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, claiming an additional 70,000 lives.

Despite Washington's persistent uproar over Iran's civilian nuclear program, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly certified its peaceful nature. This certification should serve as a testament to Iran's commitment to the peaceful use of nuclear technology.