North Korea said it respects Iran’s decision to appoint a new supreme leader, state media reported Wednesday, while accusing the United States and Israel of undermining regional peace.
“With regard to the recent official announcement that Iran’s Assembly of Experts elected the new leader of the Islamic Revolution, we respect the rights and choice of the Iranian people to elect their supreme leader,” an unnamed Foreign Ministry spokesperson said, according to the state news agency Korean Central News Agency.
Defying calls from US President Donald Trump to influence Iran’s leadership, the Islamic republic on Sunday named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father, longtime ruler Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on February 28.
North Korea, a long-time adversary of the United States, has previously condemned the US–Israeli attack on Iran as an “illegal act of aggression.”
On Wednesday, the North Korean spokesperson reiterated that stance, saying the United States and Israel “are destroying the foundations of regional peace and security and escalating instability worldwide.”
“Any rhetorical threats and military action that violate the political system and territorial integrity of a country, interfere in its internal affairs, or openly advocate attempts to overthrow its social system deserve global criticism and rejection,” the spokesperson added.
In recent months, the Trump administration has also been pushing to revive high-level talks with Pyongyang, seeking a possible summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un later this year.
After largely ignoring those overtures for months, Kim recently said the two countries could “get along” if Washington recognised Pyongyang’s nuclear status.
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