TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will meet in New York, United States, next month to discuss Iran’s nuclear programme and other important matters.
Iran wanted to strengthen ties with Japan, traditionally a friendly country, to avoid international isolation as its talks with Europe and US over their nuclear agreement have stalled, according to Japanese media.
Raisi and Kishida also met last September when they visited New York for the US General Assembly session.
Indirect negotiations between the US and Iran to revive the nuclear deal have been stalled since September 2022, although the two are trying to ease tensions.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week that he would appreciate any Iranian measures to de-escalate its increasing nuclear threat.
Raisi and Kishida are also likely to discuss Iran’s alleged provision of military drones to Russia during war against Ukraine.
Freezed Iranian assests
Raisi will reportedly ask the Japanese leader to visit Tehran and unfreeze Iranian assets in Japan, estimated to be valued around three billion dollars, that were frozen due to with US sanctions.
Earlier this month, it was reported that Tehran may free 5 detained US nationals as part of an agreement to unfreeze 6 billion dollars in Iranian funds in South Korea.
The Japanese side is also likely to emphasise safety in the Strait of Hormuz, the major artery for crude oil supply and the route for most of the crude oil importing to Japan.
