North Korea has voiced support for Iran's decision to appoint Mojtaba Khamenei as the country's new supreme leader and strongly condemned the United States and Israel over their military strikes on Iran, Al Jazeera reported.
According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), a spokesperson for North Korea's Foreign Ministry said Pyongyang respects Iran's decision to elevate Mojtaba Khamenei — the son of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israel attack at the start of the war on February 28.
“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.
Also Read | Iran Power Shift: Mojtaba Khamenei Was Not Suggested As Supreme Leader In Late Father's Will
The spokesperson also criticised Washington and Tel Aviv, accusing them of destabilising the region.
“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.
The attacks were further condemned for undermining “the political system and territorial integrity of a country”, which the spokesperson said is unacceptable and “must be condemned and rejected by the entire world”.
North Korea had earlier denounced what it described as “gangster-like conduct” by the United States and Israel following the start of the conflict in the Middle East about 12 days ago.
Separately, KCNA reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised another test-firing of strategic cruise missiles from the country's newest and largest naval destroyer, Choe Hyon.
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During the launch, Kim stressed the need to strengthen Pyongyang's deterrence capabilities, highlighting the strategic importance of “maintaining and expanding a powerful and reliable nuclear war deterrent”, KCNA said.
The missile launch marked the second such test from the Choe Hyon destroyer overseen by Kim, who last week praised the country's efforts in “arming the Navy with nuclear weapons”.
The United States has long sought to dismantle North Korea's nuclear programme, while Pyongyang insists its weapons are necessary to deter threats from South Korea and its allies in Washington. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has recently signalled openness to resuming high-level talks with North Korea.
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