Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces has called for expansion of ties with North Korea to confront any move that disrupts global security.

Major General Mohammad Bagheri (Baqeri) made the comments Tuesday in a message to congratulate the appointment of General Pak Su-il as the new head of the General Staff Department (GSD) of North Korean Army.

He also wished success for the two countries in achieving their objectives.

Tehran’s ongoing cooperation with Pyongyang can be explained by shared opposition to the United States and the Western alliance. Both countries have also defied the international community by pursuing atomic programs that in case of North Korea has culminated in the production of nuclear weapons.

Iran has had close secret military cooperation with North Koreafor decades and it is believed Pyongyang played a major role in Tehran’s development of ballistic missiles that are perceived as a serious threat by regional counties.

Both countries also pride themselves for being independent and developing homegrown military industries, although both have had close ties to Russia and China.

While Iran’s ballistic missile development and its nuclear program have been the most consistent areas of Pyongyang’s technological assistance for decades, the cooperation is believed to have continued since the Iran nuclear deal was sealed in 2015.