Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi held a phone call to discuss bilateral relations, regional and international developments. They exchanged views on bilateral cooperation in various fields, as well as the status of Iran’s nuclear talks with the West. Amir-Abdollahian reiterated Iran’s commitment to diplomacy and negotiation as a means to resolve regional and global challenges.
The nuclear talks, which began in April 2021, reached a deadlock in September 2022, with the United States blaming Iran for unreasonable demands. Amir-Abdollahian also expressed Iran’s opposition to the war in Ukraine, and it was reported that Iran has been supplying suicide drones and possibly other weapons to Russia, causing concerns among NATO countries.
Hayashi emphasized the importance of relations between Tehran and Tokyo and expressed Japan’s stance on the nuclear negotiations. The phone call took place in the days leading up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, when negotiators in the nuclear talks were striving to reach a diplomatic resolution after eleven months of negotiations.