Japan's Diplomatic Talks on Middle East

I am from TBS, representing the press corps.

Thank you.

Prime Minister, earlier, with Iran's

Pez—, Pez—,

President Pezeshkian,

you held a fourth

telephone conversation.

First, could you tell us

which side initiated this summit

and how it came

to take place?

Also, regarding the situation in the Middle East,

how did you reiterate

Japan's position

to him?

In June, the United States

and Iran signed a memorandum;

did your discussion also cover

the status of its implementation?

We’ll also ask if that was the case.

In addition, Prime Minister Takaichi,

you recently held telephone talks

with Sultan Haitham of Oman.

Did the situation regarding vessel transit

through the Strait of Hormuz

for both Oman and Iran

also come up as a topic?

Yes, thank you.

Earlier today, from 4:20 p.m.

for 20 minutes, um, in light of

the latest Middle East situation,

I held a telephone talk—

our fourth—with President Pezeshkian

of Iran.

From my side,

as the situation surrounding

the Strait of Hormuz reaches a critical phase,

and taking into account that Iran

is continuing communication

with relevant countries

toward reopening the strait,

I pointed out the importance of easing

current military tensions and calming

the situation as quickly as possible.

In addition, I conveyed Japan's position

that the U.S. and Iran should hold talks

under the MOU and promptly reach

a final agreement, including on nuclear issues,

and stated our strong hope

for an early de-escalation

of the situation

through diplomacy.

Furthermore, regarding the Strait of Hormuz,

while emphasizing the importance

of free and safe navigation without extra costs,

I called on Iran to engage

in thorough discussions with the international

community, including user countries

of the strait.

Additionally, from the perspective

of energy security,

I conveyed our deep concern

over the situation in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait,

and asked them to strongly urge

the Houthis to exercise restraint.

requested.

In addition, regarding the protection of Japanese nationals,

I once again requested an early resolution

to the issue involving the one Japanese national

who was detained in Iran

and released on bail in April.

In response,

President Pezeshkian

explained Iran's perspective,

including the current status and future outlook

of discussions with Oman

regarding the Strait

of Hormuz.

As for the Bab-el-Mandeb

Strait,

he explained that they are striving to resolve

the issue while engaging in dialogue

with Saudi Arabia.

We will continue to maintain

close communication with Iran.

That is all.

Is that all right?

Yes, then we will

conclude here.

Thank you, everyone.