Japan wants to continue purchasing Iranian oil, says Hassan Rouhani

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that Japan wanted to continue buying Iran's oil which has been sanctioned by the United states.

Rouhani praised as successful his meeting with visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, during which he said economic ties and Iran's commitment to a 2015 nuclear deal with major powers were discussed.

"Iran will remain committed to the deal, which is important for security of the region and the world. Tehran and Tokyo both oppose nuclear weapons ... Iran will never initiate a war but will give a crushing response to any egression,"

Rouhani told a joint news conference with Abe.

Abe, the first Japanese leader to visit Iran since its 1979 Islamic Revolution, landed in Tehran as a brewing confrontation between Iran and the United States stokes fear of another military conflict in the crisis-ridden Middle East.