This is the first-ever visit of a Japanese Prime Minister to Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
PM Abe is expected to hold talks with Iranian officials on ways to ease tensions between Tehran and Washington.
Abe had a meeting with Rouhani on Wednesday afternoon and will hold talks with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Thursday.
The fire did not prevent the flow of gas production in the major facility, but it caused gas leak and smoke emission.
All personnel have left the facility and are moving back to the city Assalouyeh.
The platform is reportedly surrounded by firefighting vessels which have managed to contain the fire.
The incident comes a few weeks after four oil tankers caught fire off the Emirati port city of Fujairah south of Persian Gulf.
The UAE described it as a sabotage attack, and the US accused Iran of being involved in the incident, but Iran categorically denied such a claim, and described the vessel incidents as “worrying and alarming”.
He will hold talks with President Hassan Rouhani later today, and with Iran’s Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Thursday.
Hours ahead of Abe’s arrival, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Japanese Counterpart Taro Kano sat for talks in Tehran.
During the first round of the meeting, the Iranian foreign minister welcomed Kano and his accompanying delegation. He then referred to the longtime and 90-year-old diplomatic ties between Iran and Japan and described Tokyo as Iran’s good and friendly partner in political, economic and cultural areas.
Zarif also referred to the economic war and terrorism waged by the US against the Iranian nation and said, “The Americans have launched an economic war against our nation. We’re also faced with their hatemongering and propaganda campaign on a daily basis.”
He went on to say that amid the current difficult situation, Iran will seek new ways to promote the Iranians’ welfare, including by revising its financial policies and budget, making them less dependent on oil revenues.
For his part, Japan’s top diplomat expressed satisfaction with his presence in Iran and the warm welcome his delegation received upon arriving in Tehran, and said Abe is visiting Iran as a historical and friendly country.
“Iran is a significant country in the region and we believe that the more secure the region is, the more interests all regional countries will gain. Otherwise, we all will lose,” he said.
Cano also expressed his country’s interest in contributing to efforts to lessen regional tensions.
Results of German Foreign Minister’s visit to Tehran and the outcome of his meetings with Iranian officials is the golden phrase of dailies in Tehran today. Heiko Maas’s remarks on running the financial channel between the EU and Iran were particularly highlighted by Iranian newspapers today.
Release of Lebanese-American national Nizar Zakka is seen on the front page of some dailies today as well.
The above issues, as well as many more, are highlighted in the following headlines and top stories:
Abrar:
Aftab-e Yazd:
Arman-e Emrouz:
Ebtekar:
Etemad:
Ettela’at:
Farhikhtegan:
Jomhouri Eslami:
Iran:
Kayhan:
Sazandegi:
Setareh Sobh:
During the Wednesday talks in Tehran, the Chinese envoy presented a copy of his credentials to the Iranian top diplomat.
Referring to high-level visits and meetings between the two countries in recent years, the two sides underlined the need to follow up the previous agreements and conferred on the development of bilateral relations.
The most important issues and developments in mutual ties, regional cooperation and international talks between the two countries regarding a variety of issues, including the JCPOA, transportation, trade, energy and the fight against terrorism were also discussed in this meeting.
Mousavi made the remarks in reaction to German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas’s comments in Stockholm.
“We agree with him [Maas] about the importance of the JCPOA for the international community and Europe, but we do not fully understand his emphasis on the need for Iran to unilaterally fulfil its commitments under a multilateral agreement.”
“If there are several parties to this agreement, all of them must meet their commitments similarly, and if they cannot, they should realise that we can also review our obligations under the JCPOA with the use of the mechanisms the nuclear deal has provided for us,” he went on to say.
Mousavi further advised Maas and others, who express concerns over the recent decisions of Iran, to carefully read the Article 36 of the nuclear agreement and the basics of law once more.
The German and Swedish foreign ministers expressed frustration Tuesday over the probable termination of the Iran nuclear agreement, warning Tehran that withdrawing from the deal would bring “international isolation”. They also criticised Washington for endangering a decade of diplomatic efforts.
Araqchi will officially visit Bern to attend the fourth round of political talks between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Swiss Confederation.
In this round of talks, the two sides will discuss bilateral cooperation, international and regional developments, the latest situation of the Irna nuclear deal, and legal and human rights issues.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have been rising since President Donald Trump withdrew the US from a 2015 international nuclear deal and imposed unilateral economic sanctions against Iran, mainly targeting its energy dealings on the global market.
In early May, the Trump administration beefed up the US’ military presence in the Persian Gulf, citing alleged and unspecified threats posed by the Islamic Republic to American troops and interests.
The US’ recent deployment of an aircraft carrier, B-52 bombers and Patriot missiles to the Middle East has raised fears that the Trump administration was contemplating military aggression against Iran.
Iran has insisted that it will not initiate any conflict, but will firmly defend the country against any act of aggression.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Al-Araby TV on Tuesday, whose full version will be aired on Wednesday, Zarif pointed to the ongoing tension in the Middle East, and said “everything is possible” in such a tense atmosphere where the US is waging an economic war on Iran through its unilateral sanctions.
“There is no difference between military and economic war,” he said. “In the circumstances of tension, everything is possible and the region is the biggest victim.”
However, he added, Iran will never allow the US to impose a unilateral war on the Iranian nation, which will inevitably harm everyone, as “war is war”.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have been rising since President Donald Trump withdrew the US from a 2015 international nuclear deal and imposed unilateral economic sanctions against Iran, mainly targeting its energy dealings on the global market.
In early May, the Trump administration beefed up the US’ military presence in the Persian Gulf, citing alleged and unspecified threats posed by the Islamic Republic to American troops and interests.
The US’ recent deployment of an aircraft carrier, B-52 bombers and Patriot missiles to the Middle East has raised fears that the Trump administration was contemplating military aggression against Iran.
Iran has insisted that it will not initiate any conflict, but will firmly defend the country against any act of aggression.
UAE Trying to Become New Israel
Zarif also lashed out at certain regional countries for their excessive weapons imports, saying, “Three countries in the region believe they can maintain their security through their relations with the United States,” he added.
However, he added, they are wrong to think they can import their security from America because these weapons will be used to achieve the goals of Israel.
“The United Arab Emirates is spending billions of dollars on armaments and wants to be a second Israel in the region.”
Studies show the UAE has increased its arms imports by 63% between 2012 and 2016. Its military expenditures are projected to grow to $31.8 billion by 2021 from $23.6 billion in 2016, according to SIPRI.
The country has led an increasingly interventionist foreign policy in hot spots like Libya, Syria and, most recently, Yemen.
Addressing a regular cabinet session on Wednesday, Rouhani noted that Washington exerted its utmost pressure on Iran and this pressure has reached its peak.
He said the US imposed the most unparalleled sanctions on Iran, but the nation managed to resist them.
The Iranian president described the US campaign of maximum pressure as a clear example of economic terrorism. He also said the current US administration will go down in history as an “executioner” that campaigned against the Iranian nation.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Iranian president underscored that Iranian people today have a better calm than a year ago and are more hopeful about the country’s future.
“All officials in the country today have a single and unified voice. If a foreign official arrives and holds talks with the foreign minister or the president or the leader, s/he would understand that our words, strategy and opinions are the same.”
The president pointed out that not only the top officials, but all people and elites in our society have a single opinion. They all know that the main guilty party is the United States, and there is no one in Iran doubting about it.
“We would have been blamed if we took some actions regarding the nuclear deal and they [the west] would say you broke your promises. Not only didn’t we break our promises, but we waited a whole year and our patience showed we are acting with prudence. Nobody can today complain about the way the nation, the government and the Iranian establishment have picked,” maintained Rouhani.
Senasinghe made the remarks in a meeting with Iran’s Vice President for Scientific and Technology Sorena Sattari in Tehran on Tuesday.
“Sri Lanka is interested in establishing cooperation with Iran in the related areas and take advantage of Iran’s experiences in scientific, technological and innovation areas,” he was quoted as saying in a report by dolat.ir, the government’s official news website.
He went on to say that Iran is a strong player in science and technology area and added bilateral relations between Iranian and Sri Lankan knowledge-based firms can pave the way for further mutual ties between the two sides.
For his part, the Iranian vice president cited referred to environmental innovation as an appropriate ground for further ties between Iran and other states and added Iran has had a great record in the development of knowledge-based firms.
“Some of Iranian knowledge-based firms involved in environment and medicine projects have large exports to the regional states,” he said.
Sattari went on to say that Iran and Sri Lanka have good capacities for further expansion of ties in scientific and research areas.
During the talks, the two sides also discussed ways to accomplish projects envisaged during earlier negotiations. They also exchanged views on setting up new joint laboratories.
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