FILE PHOTO: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, right, shake hands at Abe’s official residence in Tokyo Thursday, May 16, 2019. Eugene Hoshiko/Pool via REUTERS
May 24, 2019
TOKYO (Reuters) – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is considering visiting Iran as early as mid-June, NHK national television said on Friday.
The news comes during a tense standoff between Iran and the United States and follows a visit to Japan last week by Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif.
Abe is likely to discuss the possible Iran visit with U.S. President Donald Trump when the U.S. president visits Japan from Saturday and a final decision may rest on the results of that, NHK said.
No Japanese prime minister has visited Iran since 1978.
(Reporting by Linda Sieg and Elaine Lies; Editing by Robert Birsel)
