Aso asks Mnuchin for relief from Iran sanctions

Japan's Finance Minister Taro Aso on Thursday pressed his U.S. counterpart Steven Mnuchin to ensure Japanese firms are not hurt by Washington's sanctions on Iran.The United States' withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal means sanctions on financial institutions that do business with Iran will be restored in November.Aso told a press conference that he relayed to Mnuchin his "hope that Japan's concerns are addressed" in the meeting on the sidelines of a gathering of finance leaders from the Group of 20 major economies.Firms can avoid the penalties by reducing oil imports from the Middle …READ FULL ARTICLE