Naval officials from North Korea and the Islamic Republic of Iran gathered for a brief meeting this morning on the sidelines of this year’s international Maritime Security Symposium in Indonesia’s Bali. While speaking to the head of the Iranian delegation, Commander Habibollah Sayyari, north Korea’s Vice Commander Ri Su Gyong urged the Islamic Republic to “continue to fight against threats from the West, primarily the United States.”
The brief meeting between the two delegations comes amid strengthening relations between Tehran and Pyongyang. Last month, Tehran released a statement saying it seeks to “upgrade” its relations with North Korea following a meeting between Iran’s Head of National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Ala’eddin Boroujerdi and North Korea’s ambassador to Tehran, Kang Sam-hyon. Although the Iranian statement did not mention North Korea’s ballistic missile program, the statement was released on the very day Pyongyang declared it had successfully tested its first intercontinental ballistic missile, boasting it was capable of reaching the United States.