Tehran, IRNA – President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian has announced Iran’s readiness to hold nuclear-related talks to fulfill the nation’s rights.

Although the United States exited the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran is prepared to engage in negotiations on all aspects, Pezeshkian said during his Monday telephone conversation with Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018 and imposed what he claimed were the highest level of sanctions on Iran.

Over the phone, Pezeshkian, whose swearing-in ceremony is slated for July 30, expressed hope that the level of Tehran-Tokyo cooperation would increase.

He further referred to the 95-year history of friendly and diplomatic ties between Iran and Japan as a solid foundation for fostering cooperation.

Expansion of relations with the Asian countries including Japan is among the foreign policy’s priorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Pezeshkian underlined.

On regional developments, the Iranian president-elect said that the Zionist regime of Israel’s attacks on Gaza are clear examples of criminal and genocidal acts.

Pezeshkian hoped that Japan, as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and a member of the Group of Seven, would make more efforts to pressure the occupying regime and its supporters to cease attacks on Gaza.

For his part, the Japanese prime minister described Tokyo-Tehran ties as friendly.

The prime minister noted that Japan would be pleased to see its constructive cooperation with Iran expand during the tenure of the new president.

On the issue of Gaza, Kishida said it is the most important and common challenge for the world community today.

He went on to say that Japan will seriously pursue its active diplomacy to establish a truce, dispatch humanitarian aid to the Palestinians in Gaza, and prevent the expansion of conflicts in the region.

Due to its long-lasting ties with Iran and its close relations with the United States, Japan is ready to play a constructive role in the JCPOA and the revival of the international nuclear deal.

At the end of the conversation, the Japanese premier described his talks with the Iranian president-elect as fruitful and meaningful.

Pezeshkian, 69, was elected as the ninth president of Iran in the runoff elections with 16,384,403 votes.

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