North Korea has expressed support for Iran following the appointment of a new supreme leader, while accusing the United States and Israel of destabilising the region.
State media reported on Wednesday that Pyongyang respects Iran’s decision to appoint Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader.
Mojtaba Khamenei was named on Sunday to succeed his father, Ali Khamenei, who died after an Israeli airstrike on February 28.
In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), an unnamed spokesperson for North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said the country respects the Iranian people’s decision.
“We respect the rights and choice of the Iranian people to elect their supreme leader,” the spokesperson said.
The statement also strongly criticised Washington and Tel Aviv, accusing them of weakening peace and stability in the region.
According to the spokesperson, the United States and Israel are “destroying the regional peace and security foundations and escalating instability worldwide.”
The official further alleged that the two countries violated Iran’s political system and territorial integrity and were attempting to overthrow its social system.
Such actions, the spokesperson added, deserve “worldwide criticism and rejection as they can never be tolerated.”
North Korea has long been an adversary of the United States and has repeatedly condemned the recent US-Israeli military action against Iran. Pyongyang previously described the strikes as an illegal act of aggression.
The development comes amid renewed diplomatic tension between Washington and Pyongyang over North Korea’s nuclear programme.
For decades, the United States has led international efforts to dismantle North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme through sanctions, diplomatic pressure, and negotiations.
However, those efforts have yielded limited results.
In recent months, the administration of Donald Trump has attempted to revive high-level talks with Pyongyang. Officials have suggested the possibility of a new summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year.
During a visit to Asia in October, Trump said he was “100 percent” open to meeting with Kim again. The comment initially received no response from Pyongyang.
But in a recent statement, Kim suggested that relations between the two countries could improve if Washington accepts North Korea’s status as a nuclear power.
The remarks signal that diplomatic engagement between the two sides may still be possible, despite ongoing tensions over security and regional stability.
