Report: Iran pondering Japan’s mediation in talks with Trump admin
An informed Japanese source claimed that the Iranian government is considering Japan’s mediation in behind-the-scenes negotiations with the second administration of Donald Trump, the elected president of the United States, regarding the nuclear issue.
The Kyodo News Agency reported that the previous Trump administration had a hardline approach to Iran’s nuclear program, which increased tensions in Iran-US relations, ISNA reported. Japan is considered a friendly country to Iran, and if it mediates, it is expected to play a role in reducing tensions between the US and Iran concerning its nuclear program and the issue of sanctions.
Iran has stepped up nuclear work since 2019, a year after the first administration of Trump pulled Washington out of the 2015 nuclear agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was clinched under Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama.
Tehran started to reduce its commitments under the JCPOA in a series of pre-announced and clear steps after witnessing the other parties’ failure to secure its interests under the agreement.
Iran says it will continue to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to resolve disputed issues surrounding its nuclear program, rejecting media reports and statements by Western government officials that suggest Tehran is not willing to cooperate with the UN nuclear agency because it has not benefited from the JCPOA.
On Sunday, the Iraqi newspaper Baghdad Alyoum reported that Iran received a message from the US president-elect through Oman proposing high-level talks on issues including the nuclear file. No Iranian or US official has commented on the report at the time of writing this report.
Meanwhile, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Sunday said the outgoing Biden administration is briefing Trump’s team on the growing risk of Tehran pursuing the development of a nuclear weapon.