Tasnim � In a message to the leader of North Korea, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani hoped for the expansion of relations between Tehran and Pyongyang.

In the Wednesday message to Kim Jong-un, the Iranian president congratulated the East Asian nation on the 72nd anniversary of the country's founding.

Rouhani also expressed hope that the bilateral relations between Iran and North Korea would grow in all fields with the willpower of their senior officials and by employing the available capacities.

North Korea reportedly marked the 72nd anniversary of its founding last week. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea declared its statehood in 1948 and it commemorates its National Day on September 9.