North Korea expressed its support for the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new supreme leader, while condemning what it described as the “illegal” military attack launched by the United States and Israel that led to the killing of the former Iranian leader.
A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Wednesday that Pyongyang respects Tehran’s decision to appoint Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ali Khamenei.
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“With regard to 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,” Al Jazeera quoted the Korean Central News Agency as saying.
The spokesman also criticized the United States and Israel for launching what he described as an illegal attack on Iran. The spokesman said: “We express our deep concern and strongly condemn the aggression of the United States and Israel, which, by launching an illegal military attack against Iran, undermines the foundations of regional peace and security and increases instability in the international scene.”
The statement added that such actions undermine “the political system and territorial integrity of a country,” which is unacceptable and “must be condemned and rejected by the entire world.” The conflict began after a US-Israeli strike on February 28 killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, sparking the ongoing war in the region. North Korea had previously criticized the attack, describing it as “gangster-like behavior.”Separately, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw another test launch of strategic cruise missiles from the country’s newest destroyer, the destroyer Choi Hyun. During the launch, Kim spoke about the necessity of maintaining and expanding the nuclear deterrent. Al Jazeera said he referred to the strategic mission of “maintaining and expanding a strong and reliable nuclear war deterrent.” The test marks the second missile launch from the destroyer supervised by Kim, who recently praised the move to arm the Korean Navy with nuclear weapons.The United States has long sought to dismantle North Korea’s nuclear program, while Pyongyang says its weapons are necessary to deter potential threats from South Korea and its allies in Washington. But in recent months, US President Donald Trump’s administration has signaled its willingness to revive high-level talks with North Korea, while Kim suggested the two countries could “come to an agreement” if Washington recognized Pyongyang’s status as a nuclear power.