Kono Presses Iran to Cimmitted to Nuke Deal

Tokyo, May 16 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono on Thursday met with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, pressing the Middle East country to remain committed to the 2015 nuclear deal. "We strongly urge Iran's continuous implementation" of the deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Kono told Zarif. Their meeting took place in Tokyo amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States, which withdrew from the deal in 2018. "Realizing stability in the Middle East requires Iran's positive action," Kono continued. He also expressed his country's readiness to help in order to avoid further escalation of the tensions. Zarif defended Iran's response to the United States, saying, "We are exercising our rights within JCPOA." He was apparently asserting the legitimacy of his country's suspension of some of its commitments under the deal, announced May 8. Later, Zarif met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the prime minister's office. Abe expressed his concerns over growing tensions in the Middle East, calling for resolving the issue through dialogue. Iran concluded the deal with the six major powers of the United States, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia. The deal terminated economic sanctions by the United States and the European countries on Iran in exchange for restrictions on the Middle East country's nuclear development activities. Zarif arrived in Japan on Wednesday. He is slated to leave on Friday. Military tensions are being heightened between the United States and Iran following the U.S. dispatch of a carrier strike group and bombers to the Middle East. END