North Korea has sharply criticised the United States for its recent strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, calling them a “grave violation” of Iran’s sovereignty and a dangerous provocation that threatens regional and global stability. The condemnation was delivered via the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Monday and attributed to a spokesperson from North Korea’s foreign ministry.
According to the statement, the US and Israel are to blame for the escalating tensions in the Middle East. The North accused both countries of fuelling conflict through “ceaseless war moves and territorial expansion,” actions it claimed are condoned by Western powers.
“(North Korea) strongly denounces the attack on Iran by the US which … violently trampled down the territorial integrity and security interests of a sovereign state,” the spokesperson said.
The ministry called on the international community to stand united in rejecting what it described as “confrontational acts” by Washington and Tel Aviv. “The just international community should raise the voice of unanimous censure and rejection against the US and Israel’s confrontational acts,” it added.
Iran and North Korea, both long-time adversaries of the United States, have maintained warm relations over the years, particularly in military and technological spheres. There have been longstanding suspicions about their cooperation in developing ballistic missile systems.
In 2021, a UN panel of experts monitoring sanctions against North Korea revealed that the two countries had resumed joint work on long-range missile projects, including the transfer of critical components. Analysts have since raised concerns about the possibility of further collaboration in response to the latest strikes on Iran.
Ankit Panda, a senior fellow at the US-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, noted that Pyongyang could help Iran rebuild destroyed missile production facilities—potentially at undisclosed sites to avoid international surveillance.
However, Panda added that full cooperation in reviving or expanding Iran’s nuclear weapons programme is less likely, due to the sensitive nature of such technology. “There are certain matters pertaining to weapons design that the North Koreans would not want to proliferate,” he explained, citing fears that shared designs could eventually be uncovered by US intelligence, weakening North Korea’s own strategic advantage.
Nonetheless, Pyongyang’s deep experience in the weaponisation process could allow it to assist Iran in developing non-fissile elements of a nuclear device, such as conventional explosives used in detonation.
North Korea’s growing alignment with Iran also coincides with its expanding military support for Russia. Over the past year, Pyongyang has reportedly supplied Russia with thousands of troops, ballistic missiles, and other weapons to bolster its war effort in Ukraine—support that has drawn sharp rebukes from the US, Ukraine, and NATO allies.
The Trump administration has yet to formally respond to North Korea’s condemnation, but Washington has consistently defended its actions in the Middle East as necessary to deter Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons capabilities.
Melissa Enoch
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