A hard-line Iranian newspaper has printed a front page image showing the mushroom cloud of a nuclear blast, meant to criticize the Japanese prime minister's close ties with the U.S. ahead of his historic visit to Iran.

The daily Farheekhtegan, or Educated, followed it up with a large headline in both English and Farsi, saying: "How Can You Trust A War Criminal, Mr. Abe?"

The picture appeared to refer to America dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II.

Hard-line news outlets in Iran immediately picked up the front page from the paper, published by students of Islamic Azad University, which has campuses across the nation.

On Wednesday, Abe will become the first Japanese prime minister to visit Iran since its 1979 Islamic Revolution.