Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is set to visit Tokyo and meet Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Friday, amid rising tensions over Tehran's nuclear program and with severe economic sanctions imposed by the United States.
However, Japan-based experts say Tokyo has little diplomatic leverage to sway either Tehran or Washington and warn that Abe may not achieve substantial progress in the upcoming meeting with Rouhani.
On Dec. 6 in Vienna, Iranian officials threatened to apply in early January new restrictions on visits by inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Doing so would be Iran's fifth step reducing its obligations under a 2015 deal to freeze its nuclear development program.