Fumio Kishida made the remarks in a meeting with the visiting Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Monday.

Kishida assessed last year’s negotiations with the Iranian president as important and emphasized the importance of Iran-Japan relations.

He expressed his satisfaction with the new positive developments in the Persian Gulf region, adding that Japan supports regional cooperation in order to promote lasting security.

He also welcomed the continuation of positive interactions between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, for his part, assessed the Japanese Prime Minister’s high knowledge of bilateral relations and developments in the region as a valuable asset for promoting the interactions between the two countries.

Welcoming the drawing of a road map for long-term cooperation between the two countries, the top Iranian diplomat emphasized the necessity of promoting political, economic and cultural relations between the two countries.

The Iranian minister also emphasized the prominent role of Iran in promoting energy security in the Persian Gulf region.

He considered the new developments in the region to be promising for the deepening of regional cooperation in the direction of promoting stability, security and inclusive development and prosperity, adding that the role of Japan in supporting that process is important.

He also briefed the principled position of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the necessity of a political solution to the Ukraine crisis.

In this meeting, the two sides also discussed the developments related to talks on the removal of the sanctions between Iran and the world powers (P4+1) and Iran’s safeguard cooperation with the IAEA.

The Iranian top diplomat also met and held talks with his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi on Monday.

In that meeting, Amir-Abdollahian called the reorganization of bilateral relations and the drawing of a roadmap for long-term cooperation important for the expansion of relations.

He also voiced Iran’s readiness to continue consultations within the framework of the cooperation council and the continuation of consultations between the deputy foreign ministers and general managers of the two countries’ ministries of foreign affairs.

The Iranian minister reiterated Iran’s principled policy in dealing with the Ukraine crisis which is based on a political solution and emphasized that it is necessary for the international community to support such an approach.

The Japanese foreign minister, for his part, reemphasized the importance of continuing talks and cooperation between the two countries.

Yoshimasa Hayashi further explained Japan’s viewpoints on different topics including the developments in the Persian Gulf region, the talks to remove sanctions on Iran, the developments in Ukraine and cooperation between Iran and Japan in relation to Afghanistan.

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The European Union confirms that it has received Iran’s response to a modified text proposed by the EU in Vienna talks, saying the bloc is studying the reply with parties to the deal and the US.

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Iran’s foreign minister tells his British counterpart that Tehran is prepared for the conclusion of a final agreement in Vienna if all of its red lines are observed.

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Stating that the remaining issues in the Vienna talks are small but difficult, US State Department Spokesman claimed that Washington urges all parties, including Russia, to focus on resolving the final remaining issues.

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The UN report on the meeting also said that the Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister discussed matters of mutual interest, including the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and regional issues.

Also, according to a readout of the meeting by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the UN chief referred to the principled position of the United Nations in rejecting the US withdrawal from the UN JCPOA and said he had always supported the nuclear deal.

Recalling that UN consultations and cooperation with Iran on regional issues such as Yemen, the UN Secretary-General said, “The United Nations welcomes wider cooperation with the Islamic Republic.”

Guterres called Iran’s position on Afghanistan principled stance and said that he believed that an inclusive government should be formed in Afghanistan that represents every voice in Afghanistan.

Noting that the UN mission in Afghanistan has become much more serious, he highlighted that Iran is a close partner in cooperation with the UN on all these issues.

The Iranian top diplomat, for his part, thanked the Secretary-General for his constructive efforts in promoting world peace.

Meanwhile, he stressed that the UN has been inactive in supporting the Palestinians against the Israeli regime.

Amir-Abdollahian said that the issues of Palestine, Syria, Yemen and Afghanistan, require a fair and responsible UN presence.

He pointed to the US animosity against the Iranian nation and said that “The United States uses sanctions against nations and terrorism as means in line with its own political goals, most notably the cowardly assassination of Gen. Soleimani.”

He also noted that Iran is suing Washington for assassinating its top general, noting that a committee has been formed to bring to justice the perpetrators behind the assassination of General Soleimani and his companions.

The top Iranian diplomat added that the UN definitely plays an important role in the case.

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The ambassador said in a statement that Iran has informed the IAEA of its intention to produce a uranium silicide fuel pellet for the Tehran Research Reactor nine days ago and has immediately made arrangements in that regard.

Silicide fuel is an advanced type of nuclear fuel whose technology is only available to a handful of countries. According to Gharibabadi, Iran has started R&D activities using natural uranium to produce sophisticated fuel over the past three months. “In the new process, one new fuel pellet is to be produced from 20% enriched uranium,” the Iranian diplomat said, adding, “This measure, slated to significantly improve the quality and quantity of producing radiopharmaceuticals, will turn the Islamic Republic of Iran into a pioneering country in terms of nuclear technology.”

The IAEA confirmed the Iranian move, providing technical details about the whole process. “Iran informed the Agency that UO2 (uranium oxide) enriched up to 20% U–235 would be shipped to the R&D laboratory at the Fuel Fabrication Plant in Esfahan, where it would be converted to UF4 (uranium tetrafluoride) and then to uranium metal-enriched to 20% U–235, before using it to manufacture the fuel,” it said in a statement, according to Reuters.

The move drew criticism from the U.S. and its European allies, who expressed concern about the new fuel production. The three European signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal -France, Germany and the UK, collectively known as E3 – said they had “grave concern” about Iran producing enriched uranium metal and even accused Iran of “threatening a successful outcome to the Vienna talks,” which have been underway since April to revive the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price reiterated a previous American threat to withdraw from the talks with Iran while voicing concerns over the latest Iranian nuclear move.

The diplomatic tensions came at a delicate moment of the Vienna nuclear talks, which have hit a deadlock due to U.S. intransigence and insistence on maintaining sanctions on Iran. The last round of talks was concluded more than two weeks. At the end of the sixth round, Iran and the other negotiating partners underlined the need for tough decisions to reach a final agreement on the JCPOA.

Following the sixth round, the U.S. and its European partners ratcheted up diplomatic pressures on Iran, urging it to make such decisions while Iran said it was not the party to make these decisions because it had already made a series of difficult decisions to preserve the tattered nuclear deal after the U.S. quit it.

The U.S. and European calls for Iran to make tough decisions were the latest sign that they are not going to pursue constructive policies to have the deal revived in the near future. They rejected a number of Iranian demands such as giving assurances that Washington won’t renege on its commitments again once the deal is revived. Iran also brought up other demands regarding the lifting of sanctions, but most were rejected by the U.S., indicating an American lack of interest in reviving the JCPOA.

However, the U.S. continues to blame Iran for the stumbling of talks and its nuclear measures, ignoring Iran’s sacrifices in keeping the JCPOA alive over the past three years.
Now Washington and its European allies are crying foul at Iran’s production of uranium metal while torpedoing any diplomatic pathways to address this issue.

Iran has made it clear time and again that it has no intention of paying the price of keeping the JCPOA alive and turning a blind eye on European inaction in ensuring its economic interests envisaged in the nuclear deal during the Trump administration.

According to Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Seyed Abbas Araqchi, if there is one party to make tough decisions on the JCPOA, it’s certainly not Iran. Instead, he said, it’s the U.S. and its European allies.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has already made tough decisions. When the United States withdrew from the JCPOA and Iran decided to stay in the JCPOA. It was Iran’s big and difficult decision that led to the preservation of the JCPOA so far. Now it is the turn of the opposing parties, and according to the negotiations we had, they must decide and reach a conclusion on the revival of the JCPOA in order to reach an agreement,” Araqchi said in recent remarks to Iran’s state media.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh has reiterated the same call, putting the onus of making tough decisions on the U.S. “The progress made in the Vienna talks is a fact acknowledged by all parties to the talks, although there are still important issues that largely need to be decided by the other parties, especially the United States. In fact, the finalization of the agreement to revive the JCPOA depends on the political will of the other parties to make tough decisions on their part,” he said.

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The meeting of the Joint Commission of the JCPOA ended and the attending delegations are to leave Vienna for their home countires.

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During the meeting, the two sides discussed various issues and topics, including the need to expand parliamentary relations between the two countries and some developments in the region and the world.

The development of comprehensive parliamentary relations, the cooperation of specialized commissions and parliamentary friendship groups, the exchange of delegations, as well as the development of economic cooperation between the two countries were among the bilateral issues emphasized by the parties during the meeting.

Criticizing the inaction of the three European countries, he emphasized, “Behaviors of the United States and the three countries of Britain, Germany, and France led the JCPOA to death.”

He called the European negotiation policy and the lack of serious efforts to lift US unilateral sanctions against the Iranian people losing the opportunity, noting that if the anti-Iranian sanctions are not lifted and the other sides do not fulfill their obligations, the Islamic Republic of Iran will have newer scenarios.”

The Danish envoy, for his turn, underlined Denmark’s growing cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran and pointed to the importance of parliamentary cooperation.

He briefed the Iranian side about his country’s stances toward the JCPOA, underscoring the vitality of preserving the deal.

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