In a phone conversation on Saturday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe briefed U.S. President Donald Trump about his meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

A Japanese source told the Kyodo news agency that Trump made a phone call to Abe to discuss the Iranian president's recent trip to Tokyo.

“Abe told Trump that Japan will continue diplomatic efforts to ease tensions in the Middle East by working closely with the United States,” Kyodo cited the government source as saying.

The report said that Trump had requested the phone call which came a day after Abe met Rouhani in Tokyo, the first meeting in Japan between leaders of the two countries since 2000 and a major development that could affect a current political stand-off between Iran and the United States, the two countries with close ties to Japan.

During the phone call, which lasted for one hour and 15 minutes, Abe explained the outcome of his talks with Rouhani.

However, Abe himself refrained from mentioning Iran discussions when he briefed reporters about the phone call shortly before Saturday midnight.

Instead, the Japanese premier said he had discussed with Trump the issue of North Korea and his upcoming visit to China.

On Thursday, President Rouhani paid a two-day landmark visit to Japan, calling on the country to help confront the United States’ bid to wreck the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran.

Addressing a large number of senior Japanese managers ahead of leaving Tokyo on Saturday, Rouhani said the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), benefits the entire world.

“We believe that the nuclear deal is to the benefit of all nations and governments. To solve the difference there is no way but the U.S. realizes its mistake and return to the correct path.”

The president called Iranians tough negotiators who do not easily accept an agreement but if they do they will not violate it.

“We Iranians are somehow hard to reach an agreement but if we sign the agreement we will not violate it in any condition,” Rouhani underlined.

He pointed to two achievements of the nuclear deal and said, “The first achievement was that we proved to the world that we have not been after possession of an atomic weapon and voiced readiness to comply with any international monitoring. The second achievement was that we proved to the world that we are resolved to adhere to our commitments under the deal.”

Iran to revise policy if interests are not materialized

The president went on to say that if Iran cannot reap the benefits of the nuclear deal, there will be no reason to remain committed to it.

“Of course, after a long time of patience, if we see that there is no benefit for us under the deal and we (alone) have to fulfill our commitments, naturally our next decision won’t possibly be continuation of the undertakings.”

Under the JCPOA, Iran agreed to put limits on its nuclear activities in exchange for termination of economic and financial sanctions.

MJ/PA