TEHRAN - Iran and Zambia had agreed to resume their relations at the ambassadorial level, the Information and Press Department of Iran's Foreign Ministry said. Iran and Zambia were going to continue their diplomatic relations, severed since 1993. Two countries released a joint communique in Zimbabwe's capital Harare on Thursday. "The governments of Iran and Republic of Zambia, given their interest in forging friendly ties and helpful bilateral cooperation, have decided to resume diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level," the department cited part of the communique as saying. Zambian representative at the session for signing the communique, phonetically spelled as Hayden Banda, expressed pleasure at the resumption of Lusaka-Tehran relations, saying Zambia is keen to promote its ties with Iran in all fields, it said. "The Islamic Republic of Iran, in line with its policies to promote ties with world countries, especially the Third World and African nations and given Zambian government's tendency, is intending to resume ties with that country," Iran's Foreign Ministry said. Zambia severed ties with the Islamic Republic in 1993, saying Iran had given aid to the Zambian opposition United National Independence Party (UNIP) to topple the Cheloopa regime. Both Iran and the head of the UNIP categorically denied this allegation at the time. Also, Iranian Ambassador to Zimbabwe Behrouz Amalvandi on Friday welcomed the restoration of Iran-Zambia diplomatic ties cut since 1993. "Resumption of Iran-Zambia ties is in line with a policy adopted by our country to expand ties with the world countries, particularly he Third World and African nations," Kamalvandi told IRNA.