Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Wednesday that he wants to have candid talks with the Iranian leadership to secure stability in the Middle East, in a high-stakes attempt to act as a mediator between Iran and the United States.

“There are concerns over rising tensions in the Middle East. While the situation attracts the attention of the international community, for peace and stability in the region, Japan wants to play a role as much as it can,” Kyodo News quoted him as telling reporters at Tokyo’s Haneda airport before his departure to Tehran.

“To ease tensions, I’d like to have a frank exchange of views,” said Abe.

He is scheduled to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday and Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday.

NA