Trump Backs Abe Playing Intermediary Role in Standoff With Iran

Japan, a close ally of U.S., has maintained ties with Iran
‘Nobody wants to see terrible things happen,’ Trump says

Donald Trump and Shinzo Abe in Tokyo on May 27.Photographer: Eugene Hoshiko/Pool via Bloomberg

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By Shannon Pettypiece and Isabel Reynolds

May 27, 2019 at 2:40 AM UTC

Updated on

May 27, 2019 at 2:59 AM UTC

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U.S. President Donald Trump expressed support for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe playing a role in facilitating talks with Iran after the Japanese leader reportedly offered his services as an intermediary amid mounting tensions in the Middle East.

Japan, a close ally of the U.S., has also maintained ties with Iran. It welcomed Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on a visit earlier this month and has expressed support for the 2015 multinational accord restricting Iran’s nuclear program that was rejected by the Trump administration.