The arrival of North Korea’s foreign minister in Tehran just hours after Donald Trump had reinstated sanctions against Iran was “no coincidence”, analysts believe, and is designed to send the message that Pyongyang is reinforcing its alliances as denuclearisation talks with the US stall.

Ri Yong-ho held talks with Javad Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister, on Tuesday, the same day that economic sanctions went back into force against Tehran. The meeting was held at North Korea’s request, Iranian media reported, and the two officials used the two-day visit to express their “satisfaction” with existing bilateral relations and seek better ties in the future. 

“The fact that they are meeting at all…