|
WASHINGTON, Oct. 22-- U.S. State Department said on Tuesday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held phone talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi over Iran. Pompeo and his Japanese counterpart discussed coordination on Iran, a state department spokesperson said in a statement, without providing more details. The statement said the two pledged to continue to work closely across a broad agenda of regional and global security issues. Japan's top government spokesperson Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga last Friday indicated that Japan had decided not to join the U.S.-led maritime coalition to protect commercial vessels in the Middle East, saying "we have decided to pursue our own measures separately." Japan relies on the Middle East for around 90 percent of its crude oil imports and is keen to ensure the safety of vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, which is a crucial oil export route. | 
