In a Bid to Avoid Angering Iran:
Japan to Send Vessels to Waters Off Yemen
TOKYO (Dispatches) -- Japan may send vessels to patrol off Yemen rather than joining a U.S.-led coalition in the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions with Iran, government sources cited by Kyodo news agency have said.
The administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is reluctant to send the Maritime Self-Defense Force to the strait, a key sea lane through which around a fifth of the world's oil passes, out of concern that doing so could hurt Tokyo's friendly ties with Tehran, it said.
But it is under mounting pressure from Washington to participate in the U.S. campaign, dubbed Operation Sentinel, with Pentagon chief Mark Esper earlier this week urging Japan to "strongly consider" it.
As a compromise, Japan is considering sending MSDF destroyers and P-3C Orion surveillance planes to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, the sources said. "We can't just do nothing," a senior Abe administration official said.
The mission would likely be taken up by forces already engaged in anti-piracy operations off Somalia. The Japanese vessels would not be part of the U.S.-led coalition, though the area of operations would overlap, Kyodo said.
Abe hopes to discuss the issue with U.S. President Donald Trump when they meet later this month in France on the sidelines of a Group of Seven summit, according to the sources, with a final decision dependent on how other U.S. allies opt to proceed.
Germany has rebuffed requests from the Trump administration to join the military coalition in the Persian Gulf, while France has been non-committal.
A spokesman for the U.S. embassy in Berlin confirmed that Ambassador Richard Grenell and other top diplomats have pressured Germany to join the mission to no avail.
The administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is reluctant to send the Maritime Self-Defense Force to the strait, a key sea lane through which around a fifth of the world's oil passes, out of concern that doing so could hurt Tokyo's friendly ties with Tehran, it said.
But it is under mounting pressure from Washington to participate in the U.S. campaign, dubbed Operation Sentinel, with Pentagon chief Mark Esper earlier this week urging Japan to "strongly consider" it.
As a compromise, Japan is considering sending MSDF destroyers and P-3C Orion surveillance planes to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait between Yemen and the Horn of Africa, the sources said. "We can't just do nothing," a senior Abe administration official said.
The mission would likely be taken up by forces already engaged in anti-piracy operations off Somalia. The Japanese vessels would not be part of the U.S.-led coalition, though the area of operations would overlap, Kyodo said.
Abe hopes to discuss the issue with U.S. President Donald Trump when they meet later this month in France on the sidelines of a Group of Seven summit, according to the sources, with a final decision dependent on how other U.S. allies opt to proceed.
Germany has rebuffed requests from the Trump administration to join the military coalition in the Persian Gulf, while France has been non-committal.
A spokesman for the U.S. embassy in Berlin confirmed that Ambassador Richard Grenell and other top diplomats have pressured Germany to join the mission to no avail.
Iran Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami warned this week that a U.S.-led naval coalition "will only increase regional insecurity."
France: No Need for Trump Permission
France does not need the permission of other states to try to defuse tensions with Iran, its foreign minister said on Friday after Trump accused President Emmanuel Macron of sending "mixed signals” to Tehran.
"France speaks for itself on Iran as a sovereign power,” Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a written statement.
"France is deeply committed to peace and security in the region, is committed to de-escalating tensions and does not need any authorization to do so.”
Trump on Thursday had said no one was permitted to speak to Iran on behalf of the United States, after a report this week said Macron had invited Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani to this month’s G7 summit to meet the U.S. president.
A French diplomat denied the invitation had been made.
Washington’s major European allies Britain, France and Germany have been at odds with the Trump administration over Iran since last year, when Trump pulled the United States out of an international deal to give Iran access to world trade in return for curbs to its nuclear program.
Le Drian did not make a direct reference to Trump’s remarks. The diplomatic sparring is the latest in a series of terse exchanges between Washington and Paris ahead of the G7 meeting later this month.
In late July, Trump blasted the "foolishness” of Macron for pressing ahead with a tax on big tech companies, and threatened to tax French wines in retaliation. One French minister called Trump’s comments "completely moronic”.
Iran will be a hot-button topic at the G7 summit in Biarritz. The European countries still hope to salvage the nuclear deal, although Iran has begun to scale down its cooperation with it in response to U.S. sanctions.
"The aggravation of tensions requires political initiatives that create the conditions for dialogue. That’s what President Macron is doing, in all transparency,” Le Drian said. "He is of course keeping the U.S. authorities informed.”
"France speaks for itself on Iran as a sovereign power,” Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a written statement.
"France is deeply committed to peace and security in the region, is committed to de-escalating tensions and does not need any authorization to do so.”
Trump on Thursday had said no one was permitted to speak to Iran on behalf of the United States, after a report this week said Macron had invited Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani to this month’s G7 summit to meet the U.S. president.
A French diplomat denied the invitation had been made.
Washington’s major European allies Britain, France and Germany have been at odds with the Trump administration over Iran since last year, when Trump pulled the United States out of an international deal to give Iran access to world trade in return for curbs to its nuclear program.
Le Drian did not make a direct reference to Trump’s remarks. The diplomatic sparring is the latest in a series of terse exchanges between Washington and Paris ahead of the G7 meeting later this month.
In late July, Trump blasted the "foolishness” of Macron for pressing ahead with a tax on big tech companies, and threatened to tax French wines in retaliation. One French minister called Trump’s comments "completely moronic”.
Iran will be a hot-button topic at the G7 summit in Biarritz. The European countries still hope to salvage the nuclear deal, although Iran has begun to scale down its cooperation with it in response to U.S. sanctions.
"The aggravation of tensions requires political initiatives that create the conditions for dialogue. That’s what President Macron is doing, in all transparency,” Le Drian said. "He is of course keeping the U.S. authorities informed.”