Saudi Arabia and Abe

oil: The tanker attacks happened while Abe was visiting Iran in an effort to mediate between Washington and Tehran, according to The Japan Times. In their meeting in Osaka following a Group of 20 summit, Abe and the crown prince also welcomed the strengthening of economic ties between their countries. Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally and Iran's main rival in the region, has accused Tehran of carrying out attacks in mid-June on two oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz. ; While Japan is also a U.S. ally, it has also imported a significant amount of oil from Iran and has traditionally maintained friendly ties with the country. Touching on Saudi Arabia's efforts to diversify from its reliance on oil, Abe pledged the full support of Japan's public and private sectors. Under the Saudi-Japan Vision 2030 economic cooperation plan, the two countries are exploring setting up special economic zones to invite more investment by Japanese companies into the Mideast country. The crown prince said he was happy that a number of projects are underway. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.