Japan has told the U.S. it is ready to freeze bank accounts held by Iran and its leadership in support of the international coalition preparing sanctions in the event that Iran refuses to halt its nuclear fuel program.
Japan's decision to join the "coalition of concerned countries" will be seen as a serious setback for Iran, which has tried to exploit divisions within the international community over how to respond to its alleged development of nuclear weapons.
The move reaffirms the close relationship between Japanese PM Junichiro Koizumi and President Bush, who will host Koizumi at the White House next week before the pair head to Graceland (yes, really, Graceland). It is especially significant because Iran provides more than 10 percent of Japan's oil imports and there is an outstanding deal to develop Iran's Azadegan oil field, which could fall through at this point.
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