Washington, June 15 (IANS) U.S. President Donald Trump spoke over phone with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Iran and bilateral trade.

The two leaders on Friday discussed Abe’s recent trip to Iran, the ongoing U.S.-Japan bilateral trade negotiations and Trump’s upcoming trip to the Group of 20 (G20) Osaka summit in late June, Xinhua reported, citing a White House statement.

“President Trump thanked Abe for his effort to facilitate communication with Iran,” said the statement.

Abe paid a visit to Iran earlier this week, which was the first visit made by a Japanese prime minister since Takeo Fukuda in 1978.

The rare visit aimed at easing tensions between Washington and Tehran.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, however, told Abe on Thursday that it was meaningless to exchange message with Trump, according to Iranian state media.

“While I very much appreciate P.M. Abe going to Iran to meet with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal. They are not ready, and neither are we!” Trump tweeted on Thursday.

Abe’s visit was also overshadowed by the attacks on two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman on Thursday, with at least one of them operated by a Japanese company.

The Trump administration has claimed that Iran is responsible for the attacks, while Tehran called U.S. allegation as “sabotage diplomacy.” </s> NEW YORK (Reuters) - Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe described Donald Trump as a “trustworthy leader” after meeting the U.S. president-elect on Thursday to get clarity on statements Trump had made while campaigning that had caused concern about the alliance.

Abe, speaking after the hastily arranged 90-minute meeting at Trump Tower in Manhattan, reporters: “The talks made me feel sure that we can build a relationship of trust.” But he would not disclose specifics because the conversation was unofficial.

Trump, in a brief entry on his Facebook page accompanied by a photo of the two men, said: “It was a pleasure to have Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stop by my home and begin a great friendship.”

Japan’s leadership has been nervous about the future of an alliance that is core to Tokyo’s diplomacy and security.

Trump had fanned worries in Tokyo and beyond with comments on the possibility of Japan acquiring nuclear arms, demands that allies pay more for keeping U.S. forces on their soil or face their possible withdrawal, and his opposition to the U.S.-led 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade pact.

Abe had worked closely with President Barack Obama on the TPP trade pact, which was part of Obama’s push to counter the rising strength of China and a pillar of Abe’s economic reforms.

“Alliances cannot function without trust. I am now confident that President-elect Trump is a trustworthy leader,” said Abe, describing the talks as “candid” and held in a “warm atmosphere”.

Abe gave Trump a golf driver and received golf-wear in return, Japanese officials said.

Photographs taken inside the ornate meeting room at Trump Tower showed Abe accompanied only by an interpreter and Trump by his daughter Ivanka, her husband and Trump adviser Jared Kushner, and Retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn whom a senior Trump official said on Thursday had been offered the national security adviser position.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addresses media following a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump in Manhattan, New York, U.S., November 17, 2016. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

COMMON GROUND

Abe said he had agreed to meet again with Trump “at a convenient time to cover a wider area in greater depth.”

It was unclear if that would happen before Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. Trump official Kellyanne Conway told CBS earlier on Thursday that “any deeper conversations about policy and the relationship between Japan and the United States will have to wait until after the inauguration.”

Back in Tokyo, Finance Minister Taro Aso commented: “The meeting ran longer than planned, which means that they were on the same wavelength and it went well.”

Some of Trump’s campaign rhetoric suggested an image of Japan forged in the 1980s, when Tokyo was seen by many in the United States as a threat to jobs and a free-rider on defense.

A Trump adviser who spoke earlier in the week, however, stressed a more positive view and credited Abe with making changes.

“Frankly, the prime minister has been more assertive and forthright in trying to make those changes to Japan’s global posture,” he said.

Trump, a brash billionaire real estate magnate, and Abe, a political blue blood, share a stated desire to raise their countries’ global standing and both have support from right-wing constituencies.

Abe has boosted Japan’s overall defense spending since taking office in 2012. He has also stretched the limits of its pacifist postwar constitution to allow the military to take a bigger global role. Japan’s defense spending, though, still stands at just over 1 percent of GDP compared with more than 3 percent in the United States.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is taken in a motorcade to meet with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in Manhattan, New York, U.S., November 17, 2016. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

Abe was expected to see Obama at an Asia-Pacific summit in Peru on the weekend. Hours before Abe and Trump met, Obama’s secretary of state, John Kerry, and Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida met in Lima to discuss the Paris climate accord - a deal Trump has pledged to exit.

Diplomats and analysts say that however good the atmospherics, it will be hard to assess Trump’s policies on security issues ranging from overseas deployments of U.S. troops, China’s maritime assertiveness and the North Korean nuclear threat until Trump makes key appointments. </s> Japan "resolutely denounces" attacks on two oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, regardless of who is responsible for them, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Friday after speaking with U.S. President Donald Trump by phone.

Abe, who returned to Tokyo in the morning from a two-day visit to Tehran, did not name any country suspected of being behind the attacks, while the United States has already pointed fingers at Iran.

Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, Abe instead said Japan will work closely with the United States and the international community for peace and stability in the region.

"I believe that all parties concerned should exercise restraint to prevent from causing unforeseen situations and refrain from any action that could escalate tensions," Abe also told reporters at his office in Tokyo shortly after the phone conversation that lasted about 30 minutes.

While Thursday's attacks on the tankers, including one operated by a Japanese company, have raised fears of a new confrontation between Washington and Tehran, Abe said, "U.S. President Trump expressed appreciation for my visit to Iran and efforts (toward easing tensions)."

According to the White House, Trump thanked Abe for his effort to facilitate communication with Iran. They discussed Abe's recent trip to Tehran and the circumstances surrounding the attacks on the two tankers.

The two leaders also touched on negotiations for a Japan-U.S. trade agreement and Trump's visit to Japan for a Group of 20 summit slated for June 28 and 29 in Osaka, it said in a brief statement.

The United States has released footage purportedly showing an Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps patrol boat removing an unexploded mine from the Japanese-operated Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman, one of the world's most important sea lanes. But Iran has denied the allegations.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday that Washington's judgment is based on "intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication."

During his visit to Iran, Abe sought to broker dialogue between the two foes, tapping into Tokyo's traditionally friendly ties with Tehran.

Abe conveyed Trump's message that Washington is ready to open talks with Tehran, but Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei on Thursday flatly rejected the proposal.

"I do not consider Trump as a person worth exchanging any message with and I have no answer for him, nor will I respond to him in the future," Khamenei, who ultimately decides on Iran's policy direction, told Abe, who became the first sitting Japanese prime minister to visit the country in 41 years.

Khamenei also said in a statement, released after meeting with Abe, that Iran believes "problems will not be solved by negotiating with the United States, and no free nation would ever accept negotiations under pressure." </s> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday after White House talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that the two leaders were working together to improve trading relations and that Abe promised new Japanese investment in the United States.

At a joint news conference, Trump said Abe told him Japan was buying “billions and billions of dollars of additional products of all kinds - military jets, airliners from Boeing, lots of farm products.”

“We’re working hard to reduce our trade imbalance which is very substantial, remove barriers to U.S. exports and to achieve a fair and mutually beneficial economic partnership,” Trump said.

Japan, a key American ally, is among a number of countries hit by metal tariffs Trump has imposed this year. The Trump administration has also threatened levies on imports of Japanese cars.

Trump has made clear he prefers a bilateral deal to reduce the U.S. trade deficit with Japan, while Abe’s government says multilateral agreements would be best.

“The United States seeks a bilateral deal with Japan that is based on the principle of fairness and reciprocity,” Trump said on Thursday.

Abe said he had a detailed and candid exchange of views with Trump and the discussions focused on North Korea.

Trump said his administration encouraged Japanese investment in new plants in the United States.

“The prime minister told me that will happen,” he said. “We want new auto plants going into Michigan and Pennsylvania and Ohio.” </s> WASHINGTON, June 7 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday after White House talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that the two leaders were working together to improve trading relations and that Abe promised new Japanese investment in the United States.

At a joint news conference, Trump said Abe told him Japan was buying "billions and billions of dollars of additional products of all kinds - military jets, airliners from Boeing, lots of farm products."

"We're working hard to reduce our trade imbalance which is very substantial, remove barriers to U.S. exports and to achieve a fair and mutually beneficial economic partnership," Trump said.

Japan, a key American ally, is among a number of countries hit by metal tariffs Trump has imposed this year. The Trump administration has also threatened levies on imports of Japanese cars.

Trump has made clear he prefers a bilateral deal to reduce the U.S. trade deficit with Japan, while Abe's government says multilateral agreements would be best.

"The United States seeks a bilateral deal with Japan that is based on the principle of fairness and reciprocity," Trump said on Thursday.

Abe said he had a detailed and candid exchange of views with Trump and the discussions focused on North Korea.

Trump said his administration encouraged Japanese investment in new plants in the United States.

"The prime minister told me that will happen," he said. "We want new auto plants going into Michigan and Pennsylvania and Ohio." (Reporting by James Oliphant; Writing by Mohammad Zargham Editing by James Dalgleish) </s> TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit Iran in an effort to reduce tensions between Tehran and Washington, Japan’s government spokesman said Thursday. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Abe’s trip will…

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit Iran in an effort to reduce tensions between Tehran and Washington, Japan’s government spokesman said Thursday.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Abe’s trip will be the first by a Japanese leader to Iran in 41 years. He declined to specify the dates of the trip or other details, but said it would be “soon.” Officials are finalizing the details so the visit will be meaningful, Suga said.

Kyodo News and other local media said Abe will visit Tehran on June 12-14 and meet with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani.

Tensions between the U.S. and Iran have worsened since Washington withdrew last year from a nuclear deal between Iran and several world powers, and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran.

“With tensions intensifying in the Middle East, I believe it is extremely important to try to alleviate tension, encourage Iran to abide by the nuclear agreement and play a constructive role for regional stability,” Suga said. “We will actively work toward a peaceful resolution.”

Foreign Minister Taro Kono is expected to travel to Tehran to meet with his counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, on June 12 to pave the way for Abe’s visit.

Abe proposed the trip to President Donald Trump during a visit by the U.S. leader to Japan in late May and received his support.

Resource-poor Japan relies heavily on oil imports from the Middle East and has maintained friendly relations with Iran, though oil from that country now accounts for only about 5% of Japan’s total oil imports, down from 10% in the 2000s.

Copyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. </s> The prime minister of Japan on Tuesday left for the United States to meet with the US president in a summit focusing on talks with North Korea and protectionist measures announced by Washington.

Shinzo Abe will attend a two-day summit with Donald Trump in Mar-a-Lago in Florida until Wednesday, his second visit to Trump's private house since the latter became president in January 2017. </s> US President Donald Trump discussed with Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe Friday recent attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, Anadolu Agency reports.

The telephone call follows the conclusion of Abe’s recent visit to Iran in which he sought to diffuse simmering tensions between Washington and Tehran that hit a boiling point Thursday when the ships were attacked.

The leaders discussed the visit as well as the “circumstances surrounding the attacks,” the White House said in a statement.

“President Trump thanked Prime Minister Abe for his effort to facilitate communication with Iran,” the White House said.

Trump said Thursday it is “too soon” for the U.S. to engage in nuclear talks with Iran just minutes before Washington blamed Tehran for the attacks on the oil tankers near the Gulf of Oman, which is a critical waterway for the global energy trade.

Shortly after meeting with Abe, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in remarks carried by Iranian state news agency FARS that he did not see Trump as deserving of a message from him.

“I do not consider Trump, as a person, deserving to exchange messages with. We will not negotiate with the United States,” he said, according to FARS.

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have been at a fever pitch since Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. in May 2018 from an international pact aimed at reigning in Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars in relief from economic sanctions.

The Trump administration has since gone on to attempt to scuttle the agreement, which all other signatories — France, Russia, Germany, the UK, China, Iran and the EU — remain a party to.

The attempts to undermine the deal have included the reimposition of US sanctions on Iran oil exports that were lifted as part of the agreement.

That decision, in particular, drew strong condemnation from Iran amid a near-ceaseless diplomatic and economic effort the administration terms its “maximum pressure campaign” to bring Iran back to negotiations that would address its nuclear program and other regional activities the US says are destabilising.

Japan PM to meet Iran’s Khamenei to mediate with US

Also on Thursday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran of being responsible for the attacks near the Strait of Hormuz, describing the attacks as part of “an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran.”

The top diplomat said the US assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons that were used, the level of expertise needed to carry out the attacks, as well as other recent attacks on ships in the region the US has blamed on Iran.

The US on Friday released grainy video footage it says shows Iranian forces removing a mine from the hull of one of the ships that came under attack. The tanker, the Kokuka Courageous, is Japanese owned.

The strait is vital waterway with roughly one-third of the world’s liquefied natural gas and a fifth of its oil consumption transiting through it each day. </s> On Historic Visit To Iran, Japan's Abe Hopes To Play Role Of Mediator With U.S.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to arrive in Iran on Wednesday to begin a historic trip to the Middle Eastern country where he is expected to try to mediate escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran.

Abe's two-day visit is the first to Iran for a Japanese premier since Takeo Fukuda in 1978.

Speaking at Tokyo's Haneda Airport just before departing, Abe acknowledged "rising tensions" in the Middle East and said, "Japan wants to do as much as possible towards peace and stability in the region."

During his visit, Abe plans to meet separately with Iran's president, Hassan Rouhani, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

At a news conference in Tokyo, Japan's Chief Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Abe had spoken by telephone for about 20 minutes on Tuesday with President Trump and that the two leaders had "exchanged views on regional issues, including the situation in Iran."

Relations between the U.S. and Iran have been particularly strained since Washington withdrew from the 2015 nuclear accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), re-imposed sanctions on Tehran and dispatched an aircraft carrier strike group and B-52 bombers to the region.

Although specifics of Tuesday's conversation between Abe and Trump were not made public, The Japan Times reports that "Abe is likely to have reiterated his intention of encouraging Iran, with which Japan has traditionally maintained friendly relations, to engage in dialogue."

In a joint news conference with President Trump in Tokyo last month, Abe pledged to do whatever he could to mediate.

Japan had relied heavily on Iranian oil, but has cut imports to comply with U.S. sanctions.

Reuters, quoting unnamed Iranian officials, said Iran plans to ask Abe to mediate with the U.S. to ease those sanctions.

Although Tokyo and Tehran have long enjoyed close relations, Tokyo's strong ties with the U.S. have raised concern among conservatives in Iran.

In a reference to the U.S. atomic bombs dropped on Japan during World War II, one hard line newspaper in Iran, Farheekhtegan, or Educated, published a photo of a mushroom cloud with the headline "How Can You Trust a War Criminal, Mr. Abe?"
U.S. President Donald Trump thanks Prime Minister of Japan Shinzō Abe by phone for his effort to mediate between the U.S. and Iran.