Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bid to ease US-Iran tensions; Senior Analyst

Nozar Shafiei, an expert on international affairs added that what Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants to do is to avoid raising tension between Iran and United States.

Abe is scheduled to visit Iran for three days from Wednesday in an effort to mediate U.S.-Iran tensions over the 2015 nuclear deal.

“The important issue is that the two sides agree on what matters to be mediate and so far, it has probably been pre-negotiated,” a political analyst said.

Japan's Prime Minister has been setting himself up as an intermediary between the U.S. and Iran amid mounting strains between the two countries, a position that U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated he supports. Considering the state of heightened tensions, a meeting with both Iran president Hassan Rouhani and Iran’s supreme leader was viewed as necessary; the media reported.

Shafiei also referred United States withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and said that the mediation efforts carried out by Iraq, Oman or Japan are related to Tehran and Washington relations. “However, one of the reasons for tension in US-Iranian relations was the issue of withdrawal from JCPOA but relations between Iran and other members of the deal are continue; so we must not link Europe's commitments to the relations of Iran and United State.”

University Professor told, “Washington has said that in some areas they have no problem with INSTEX and will not put much pressure on Europe, and this is a positive message to Iran and Europe.”

Germany, France and the UK have set up a payment channel with Iran called INSTEX, to help continue trade and circumvent US sanctions.

The senior analyst believes, “If tension between Tehran and Washington reduce slightly, the European initiative to continue cooperation with Iran is also expanding.”

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