Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday welcomed Japan's decision not to join a U.S.-led naval mission in the Gulf, in remarks carried by state television.
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 took place in May and June on international merchant vessels, including Saudi tankers, in Gulf waters which the United States blamed on Iran. Tehran denies the accusations.