According to the KCNA news agency, Yun Jong-ho, the minister of external economic ties, departs Pyongyang with a delegation to visit Tehran.
In a rare public mention of an exchange between the two nations thought to have secret military links, the North Korean state media said that a group headed by the cabinet minister for international trade is visiting Iran.
Leading a ministry group to visit Iran, Yun Jong-ho, the minister for external economic affairs, departed Pyongyang by air on Tuesday, the North’s KCNA news agency reported early on Wednesday.
It provided no further information.
North Korea and Iran are suspected by the US and its Western allies of working together on ballistic missile projects, possibly exchanging technological know-how and parts used in their production.
Russian officials and Western media have reported that Iran has given Russia a significant quantity of ballistic missiles to use in its conflict with Ukraine. Iran disputes “baseless” allegations.
Pyongyang disputes claims made by the Western allies that North Korea is providing Russia with artillery and missiles.
Tensions between Iran and Israel
The visit takes place as Israel’s war on Gaza continues to rage and inflame the larger Middle East region, and as Iran and Israel, the region’s arch-rivals trapped in a shadow war for years, struggle to manage their newfound tensions.
In an attempt to overwhelm Israel’s air defenses, Iran launched hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles on April 13. This was the first foreign strike on Israel since Saddam Hussein, the dictator of Iraq, fired Scud missiles at Israel during the Gulf War in 1991.
With support from the US, the UK, and neighboring Jordan, Israeli fighter jets and air defenses claimed to have shot down the great majority of the incoming fire.
Iran launched its attack in retaliation for an Israeli strike on April 1 that killed seven Iranians and others and targeted an Iranian consular building near to its embassy in Damascus, Syria.
SOURCE: TRTWORLD
