TEHRAN – The newly appointed Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to North Korea, Abbas Talebifar, met with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi ahead of his departure for Pyongyang.

During the meeting, Talebifar presented his plans and proposals for fulfilling his responsibilities in his new role.

Wishing the new envoy success in his mission, Araghchi emphasized the importance of utilizing all available capacities to strengthen Tehran–Pyongyang relations in areas of mutual interest.

Before his appointment as ambassador to North Korea, Talebifar served as Director of the Second East Asia and Oceania Department at Iran’s Foreign Ministry and previously represented the country as ambassador to Brunei Darussalam and Georgia.

Iran and North Korea, both facing decades of U.S. hostility and unilateral sanctions, have maintained steady political and economic relations since establishing diplomatic ties in 1973. Cooperation between the two countries gained renewed momentum in recent years, particularly after Washington’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and the reimposition of sanctions on Tehran.

In 2018, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho visited Tehran, where the two sides discussed common approaches toward countering U.S. pressure and sanctions. Since then, bilateral engagement has continued through regular diplomatic exchanges, with both countries stressing the need for solidarity among nations subjected to Western coercion.

More recently, Pyongyang has sought to expand its engagement with Tehran amid growing convergence between Iran, Russia, and North Korea in response to shared security and economic challenges. In April 2024, North Korea’s Minister of External Economic Relations, Yun Jong-ho, led a high-level delegation to Iran to explore avenues for trade and cooperation — the first such visit in over four years.

The visit followed Yun’s trip to Moscow, highlighting the increasing diplomatic coordination among the three countries in the face of U.S. and Western sanctions.

North Korea has also voiced firm support for Iran’s regional positions, including its opposition to Israel’s military aggression. In a series of statements earlier this year, Pyongyang condemned Israeli strikes against Iranian sites and warned that such provocations risk sparking a wider regional conflict. The DPRK also accused the United States and Israel of fuelling instability in the West Asia and called on the international community to resist Washington’s destabilizing policies.