Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi on Sunday demanded Japan liberate its assets frozen in Japanese banks in a meeting with visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi.

"The delay in the release of Iranian assets in Japanese banks cannot be justified," Raisi told Motegi, according to a report published on the Iranian Presidency's official website.

Some 3 billion U.S. dollars in Iranian assets mainly from oil and gas exports have been frozen in Japanese banks since the United States unilaterally withdrew from the Iran nuclear agreement and re-imposed sanctions on Iran and on any third party dealing with the Iranian banking system.

In response to U.S. sanctions, Iran has gradually stopped implementing parts of its commitments to the deal since May 2019, and six round of talks in Vienna between April and June have so far failed to revitalize the deal.

Addressing the situation in neighboring Afghanistan, Raisi welcomed the efforts of Japan and other countries in the region to help establish peace and stability in the Asian nation and in the region.

For his part, Motegi congratulated Raisi on his inauguration as president of Iran, and expressed Japan's interest in developing its relations with Iran.

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