Japan Offers New Mechanism to Shun US Sanctions, Rouhani

Tokyo (HRNW) Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stated on Saturday that Tokyo had briefed Tehran on a new mechanism for circumventing US sanctions. The Iranian president described the US sanctions as “a lose-lose decision” which is detrimental to everyone, something that he said prompts “the Japanese, Europeans and others” to try and bypass these restrictive measures. “We discussed sanctions. Everyone knows that this US move is against the international regulations and the Americans have to return from the wrong path they have taken,” Rouhani said, referring to his recent meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Separately, he welcomed Japan’s decision not to join a US-led naval coalition which is allegedly aimed at protecting navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf near Iranian territorial waters.