Iran and North Korea have maintained relations for decades. Tehran has previously warned Kim Jong Un’s government not to trust the Trump administration.
LONDON — Kim Jong Un’s top diplomat held talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran on Wednesday, just a day after President Donald Trump reimposed sanctions on the Islamic republic.
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho also met with Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif Tuesday in an effort to bolster longstanding relations between the countries.
Ri’s trip to Iran was the first by a senior North Korean official since President Hassan Rouhani was re-elected last year. It also follows Trump’s June meeting with Kim in Singapore.
The North Korean foreign minister said he had briefed Rouhani on the nuclear negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington, according to Iran’s Donya-e-Eqtesad newspaper.
Iran and North Korea have maintained relations for decades.
Soo Kim, a former CIA intelligence analyst who specializes in North Korea, said that the Iran visit sent a message to the international community.
The North Koreans were taking a “two-pronged” diplomatic approach by continuing denuclearization negotiations with the U. S. while also pursuing diplomacy and “ally-building” with countries such as Iran.
“It’s a way to keep us on our toes,” Soo Kim added. “They’re playing a game with us, they’re giving us hope that things are going to progress but at the same time they’re not really showing us anything concrete.”
Trump’s announcement that the U. S. would withdraw from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal was followed by Tehran advising Pyongyang not to believe any promises made at the June 12 summit with Kim Jong Un.
In an interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt in September, Rouhani also warned that Washington pulling out of the pact “would carry a high cost” because “no one will trust America again.” The Iranian president added that “the greatest capital that any country has is trust and credibility.”
North Korea achieved several technical milestones in its weapons program last year — launching its first three intercontinental ballistic missiles and conducting its most powerful nuclear test to date.
Pyongyang has tested a total of 23 missiles since Trump took office, and 15 of those tests involved nuclear-capable ballistic missiles.
