Japan’s Foreign Ministry announced that Toshimitsu Motegi, the foreign minister of this country, spoke by phone with Abbas Araghchi, the foreign minister of the Islamic Republic, and asked Tehran to continue to show “maximum flexibility” in negotiations with the United States.

Motegi said Japan has been working to quickly reduce tensions, stabilize the situation, and reach a diplomatic solution, and called for strengthening the diplomacy process in cooperation with relevant countries.

He also emphasized the importance of restoring free and secure navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and called for dialogue about the future of the Strait of Hormuz with the entire international community, urging the Islamic Republic to take a “constructive approach” in this regard.

Araghchi also described the current status of negotiations with the United States and the position of the Islamic Republic, and the two sides agreed to continue close communication to reach a diplomatic solution.