North Korea has expressed support for Iran’s appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader and renewed its condemnation of what it called the “illegal” military attack on Iran by the United States and Israel, according to state media.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Wednesday that a spokesperson for North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Pyongyang respected Iran’s decision to appoint Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader, reports Al Jazeera.
He is the son of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli strike at the beginning of the war on 28 February.
“Regarding the recent official announcement that the Iranian Assembly of Experts has elected a new leader of the Islamic Revolution, we respect the right and choice of the Iranian people to elect their Supreme Leader,” KCNA quoted the ministry spokesperson as saying.
The spokesperson also strongly criticised Washington and Tel Aviv over their military action against Iran.
“We express grave concern and strongly condemn the aggression of the United States and Israel, which, by launching an unlawful military attack against Iran, are undermining the foundations of regional peace and security and increasing instability in the international landscape,” the spokesperson said.
He further denounced the attacks for weakening “the political system and territorial integrity of a country”, adding that such actions are unacceptable and “must be condemned and rejected by the entire world”.
North Korea had earlier condemned the conflict in the Middle East, describing the US-Israel campaign launched 12 days ago as “gangster-like conduct”.
Meanwhile, KCNA reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised another test launch of strategic cruise missiles from the country’s newest and largest naval destroyer, the Choe Hyon.
According to KCNA, Kim emphasised during the event the strategic importance of “maintaining and expanding a powerful and reliable nuclear war deterrent”.
The latest launch marked the second missile test from the Choe Hyon overseen by Kim. Last week, he praised what he described as his country “arming the Navy with nuclear weapons”.
For decades, the United States has led international efforts to dismantle North Korea’s nuclear programme. However, it has had limited influence over Pyongyang, which maintains that nuclear weapons are necessary to deter any potential invasion by South Korea and its allies in Washington.
In recent months, the administration of US President Donald Trump has indicated that it is open to resuming high-level talks with North Korea. Kim recently said that the two countries could “get along” if Washington recognised North Korea’s status as a nuclear power.
