North Korea announced Wednesday that it formally recognizes Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei. At the same time, Pyongyang has condemned US and Israeli military actions in the region, which it considers a threat to peace.
“Regarding the recent official announcement that the Assembly of Experts in Iran has elected the new leader of the Islamic Revolution, we respect the right and choice of the Iranian people to elect their supreme leader,” said a spokesman for the North Korean Foreign Ministry, quoted by the official KCNA news agency, according to Agerpres.
Mojtaba Khamenei officially became the new leader of Iran on Sunday. He replaced his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28, the first day of US-Israeli military operations.
Pyongyang, a traditional ally of Tehran and an outspoken adversary of Washington, reacted harshly and described the attack on the Iranian leader as an “illegal act of aggression”.
This position was reiterated on Wednesday by the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who warned that the United States and Israel are “undermining the foundations of regional peace and security and exacerbating instability at the global level.”
Although he initially brushed off proposals for a new summit, Kim Jong Un recently said the two countries could “get along well” but only if Washington accepted his country's nuclear power status.
Also on Wednesday, state news agency KCNA announced that the supreme leader personally supervised new cruise missile tests from a destroyer. At these tests, Kim Jong Un was accompanied by his daughter, Ju Ae. Her presence alongside his father underlines the continuity of the regime.
The maneuvers come as the United States and South Korea conduct annual military exercises, which Pyongyang now considers rehearsals for “war.”
