Khamenei rejects Abe's mediation: No dialogue with Trump
The Ayatollah on the US president: " have no answer for him, nor will I respond to him in the future". The road to easing tensions will be hard, but Japan will continue to work for peace and stability. The Japanese premier: " I met face-to-face with Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei and I was able to hear of his belief in peace: it is a step forward".
Tehran (AsiaNews) - Iran does not intend to negotiate with the United States and rejects Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's proposal to mediate a possible dialogue between Washington and Tehran.
This is what emerges from yesterday's meeting between the Japanese prime minister and the supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The summit concluded Abe's state visit to Iran, which according to Tokyo media reports represented a rare opportunity for the prime minister to raise his diplomatic profile, especially in view of the G20 summit in Japan (28 and 29 June) and the upcoming election engagements.
According to Abe at the end of the talks, Khamenei said that his country has no "intention to produce, possess or use nuclear weapons", expressing the desire for peace in the region.
But the Iranian leader said that, despite Japan's efforts, he does not consider the US president - Donald J. Trump - "a person with whom it is worth exchanging messages". "I have no answers for him, nor will I answer him in the future," stressed Khamenei.
The Islamic leader also confided to Abe: " What Trump says, that he is not after regime change (in Iran), is a lie. For, if he could do so, he would. However, he is not capable of doing it. "
Abe admitted that the road to easing tensions in the Middle East between Washington and Tehran will be tough, but Japan will continue to work for peace and stability.
Before Abe met the press, two oil tankers, one run by a Japanese company, were attacked near the Strait of Hormuz.
"I met face to face with the supreme leader of Iran Khamenei - the prime minister declared - and I was able to hear of his belief in peace. This is an important step towards security and stability in this region ”.
Trump's decision in May 2018 to withdraw from the hard-fought Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) reached by predecessor Barack Obama and to impose the toughest sanctions in history are the cause of current tensions between the US and Iran.
The US has targeted Iran’s oil exports and boosted its military presence in the area. Iran responded by threatening to revive uranium enrichment and pointed the finger at European nations, who are tasked with saving what remains of the nuclear agreement.
Japan has long been one of the largest importers of Iranian oil.
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