Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday welcomed Japan's decision not to join a U.S.-led naval mission in the Gulf and said he had discussions on ways of "breaking" U.S.
sanctions on a trip to Tokyo.
Friction between Tehran and
Washington has increased since last year when U.S. President
Donald Trump pulled the
United States out of Iran's 2015
nuclear deal with six nations and re-imposed sanctions on the country, crippling its economy.
Washington proposed the naval mission after several attacks in May and June on international merchant vessels, including Saudi tankers, in Gulf waters which the United States blamed on Iran.