WASHINGTON: Japan's foreign minister said Monday that his country would not stop imports of Iranian oil, striking a rare note of divergence with the United States during a visit to Washington.
After talks with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba told media about Japan's sanctions imposed on Iranian institutions due to concerns over its nuclear program.
But Gemba said: "I conveyed my view that there is a danger of causing damage to the entire global economy if the imports of Iranian crude oil stop."
The United States and European powers have sought to step up global pressure on Iran after the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear watchdog came its closest yet to accusing Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons.
But Japan, the world's third-largest economy, is heavily dependent on foreign oil as it has virtually no fossil fuel resources on its own
No comments:
Post a Comment