Japan 'very concerned' over escalation with Iran: FM

ABU DHABI: Japan's foreign minister, on a Gulf tour to seek assurances over oil supplies, said Tuesday that Tokyo was "very concerned" by escalating tensions with Iran and called for a diplomatic solution.

"Japan is very concerned about the latest developments," Koichiro Gemba said of the West's standoff with Tehran, which has threatened to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz if oil sanctions are imposed over its nuclear programme.

"We believe that we should solve the problem diplomatically and peacefully. That is why dialogue with Iran should continue," he told reporters in Abu Dhabi through an Arabic-language interpreter.