TEHRAN (AFP) — Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on Sunday
called on Tokyo to release the Islamic republic's funds that have been frozen
in Japan because of US sanctions over its nuclear program.
اضافة اعلان
"Delaying the release of Iran's assets in Japanese
banks is unjustifiable," Raisi told visiting Japanese Foreign Minister
Toshimitsu Motegi, the government website reported.
Japan and to a larger extent South Korea are both major
exporters of technology, and hold billions of dollars in Iranian assets.
These funds have been frozen since the former US president
Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew Washington from a landmark nuclear deal and
reimposed sanctions on Tehran in 2018.
Washington said in mid-July that it was allowing Iran to use
the frozen funds to settle debts in South Korea and Japan, but insisted that it
did not allow any to be transferred to Tehran itself.
Talks between Iran and world powers aimed at reviving the
2015 accord have stalled since late June. The United States has been involved
indirectly in the talks.
Motegi arrived in Tehran early Sunday after visiting Turkey
and Iraq during a regional tour, and he will also go to Qatar.
At a press briefing after meeting
Raisi, Motegi told
Japanese reporters that during his visits he had discussed the situation in
Afghanistan following the capture of Kabul by the Taliban.
He said he agreed with Iran, Turkey and Iraq on the need to
cooperate to avoid Afghanistan becoming a "further destabilizing
factor".
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