Tasnim � Iranian President Hassan Rouhani expressed the country�s enthusiasm for growing relations with Malaysia during the tenure of Prime Minister Mahathir Bin Mohamad.


In a message on Saturday, the Iranian president congratulated the Malaysian leader on the anniversary of the Southeast Asian country�s Independence Day, also known as Hari Merdeka.

Hailing the �cordial and brotherly� ties between Tehran and Kuala Lumpur, Rouhani highlighted the political will for the expansion of economic, political and cultural relations between the two nations and hoped for closer cooperation during Mahathir Bin Mohamad�s tenure.

Mahathir, 92, dubbed the �Father of Modern Malaysia� during his previous 22 years in power until 2003, was sworn in as Malaysia�s seventh prime minister in May after defeating a coalition that had ruled the country for six decades since independence from Britain.

Hari Merdeka is a national day of Malaysia, which marks the independence of the Federation of Malaya from British colonial rule in 1957, and is celebrated on August 31 each year.