Iran’s new ambassador to North Korea formally assumed his post on Wednesday after presenting his credentials in Pyongyang, according to state media reports, filling a position that has been vacant for over five years as the two countries look to advance their decades-old friendship. Choe Ryong Hae, the head of North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament, received Amb. Abbas Talebifar’s letter of credence at the Mansudae Assembly Hall on behalf of leader Kim Jong Un, the state-owned Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Thursday.