Japan’s Abe hopes to bring Iran’s Supreme Leader to Osaka G20 summit – source
Tokyo, June 12 (Sputnik) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is heading to Iran for a historic visit in the hope of bringing the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader to this June's G20 Summit in Osaka, a source familiar with the situation told Sputnik.
Abe left for Iran on Wednesday for talks with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani after calling US President Donald Trump, who has recently wrapped up a state visit to Japan.
"The ultimate goal of this visit is to make arrangements in Iran and bring the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to the G20 Summit in Japan. His talks with Trump, if they happen, will be the main political event," the source said.
Abe said before leaving for Iran, the first such trip in four decades, that he wanted Japan to play a stabilizing role in the Middle East, where tensions escalated last month after the United States sent warships and bombers to the Persian Gulf in response to an unexplained threat from Iran.
