French overture to ease U.S.-Iran row could complicate Abe's efforts

French President Emmanuel Macron's drive to realize dialogue between the United States and Iran amid a standoff over a 2015 nuclear deal are complicating efforts by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who also intends to act as a mediator.Despite his historic visit to Iran in June, Abe is widely seen as becoming out of the loop, foreign policy experts say, warning he should assume more visible roles in defusing tensions between Washington and Tehran, and that any indecisive behavior would only hurt Japan's reputation in the international arena.In a surprise move, Macron invited Iran's forei…READ FULL ARTICLE