Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in Tehran on Wednesday for a rare diplomatic mission, hoping to ease tensions between the Islamic republic and Tokyo's key ally Washington.

State television broadcast footage of Abe being greeted at Tehran's Mehrabad airport by Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Abe's arrival was preceded by that of Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono, who held closed-door talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Addressing a cabinet meeting ahead of the visit, President Hassan Rouhani said Iran's leaders and people were united in their view that "the main culprit is America. Not a single individual doubts it."

He said Washington had now dialed up its pressure on the Iranian people to "the maximum." "The pressure has reached its full potential," he told the cabinet.

Tehran is locked in a bitter standoff with Washington after President Donald Trump withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal in May last year.

Washington has since reimposed crippling unilateral sanctions that have forced Japan to halt its once substantial purchases of Iranian oil and launched a military buildup in the Gulf.

"Amid concerns over growing tension in the Middle East and with the attention of the international community on the issue, Japan wishes to do its best towards peace and stability in the region," Abe told reporters in Tokyo before leaving for Tehran. "Based on traditional friendly ties between Japan and Iran, I would like to have candid exchanges of opinions with President Rouhani and supreme leader Khamenei toward easing tensions," he said.

Japanese government officials said Abe would not present Tehran with a list of demands, or deliver a message from Washington, but instead wanted to play the role of neutral intermediary.