KUALA LUMPUR: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday that the 70th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing highlights the importance of the nuclear deal negotiated between Iran and six world powers.
Speaking Thursday in Malaysia at a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida , Kerry said theHiroshima anniversary is a "very, very powerful reminder" of the impact of war. But he said it also demonstrates the importance of the Iran deal, which the Obama administration says will prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.
"It is impossible not to have thoughts about it," Kerry said, adding that he had watched the ceremony inHiroshima's peace park marking the moment of the atomic blast in 1945.
"Needless to say, it is a very, very powerful reminder of not just the impact of war lasting today on people and countries, but it also underscores the importance of the agreement we have reached with Iran to reduce the possibility of more nuclear weapons," he told reporters. "And the United States and other countries are working to move — particularly Russia and the United States with our agreement — to reduce the number of existing nuclear weapons."
Kerry also lauded the current strong ties between the United States and Japan and paid tribute to Hiroshima'ssurvivors, recounting one woman's story that he had heard.
"She survived and she is a great witness to the human spirit and to our ability to reconcile after war," he said. "And, I think that our relationship today with Japan is one of the most important that we have in the world. We (are) great democracies that work together and we share common values, common vision of the future and I think today is really a great tribute to remembrance but also to the possibilities of the future."