North Korea has issued a fierce rebuke of the United States after its recent airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, describing the action as a serious breach of Iran’s sovereignty and a threat to global stability.
In a strongly worded statement released on Monday through the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Pyongyang said the U.S. had “violently trampled down the territorial integrity and security interests of a sovereign state.”
“The United States and Israel are fully responsible for the current escalation in the Middle East,” said an unnamed official from North Korea’s foreign ministry. “Their constant war provocations and territorial ambitions, encouraged by Western powers, have lit the fuse.”
The U.S. military carried out precision strikes on Iran over the weekend, targeting facilities believed to be linked to its nuclear weapons programme. The operation followed growing international concerns over Iran’s recent missile activities and its support for armed groups across the region.
The attack comes amid already heightened tensions between Iran and Israel, with retaliatory strikes exchanged in recent months. Footage from Haifa, Israel, showed crowds gathering around impact sites from Iranian missile fire images that quickly spread across global news networks.
North Korea, which has long maintained warm ties with Tehran, framed the U.S. strikes not only as an act of aggression against Iran but as a broader assault on the rights of all independent nations.
“The just international community must speak out against these confrontational acts by the U.S. and Israel,” the statement continued, urging global condemnation.
For decades, Pyongyang and Tehran have been accused of cooperating in secret on missile development. In 2021, a U.N. panel now disbanded claimed the two nations had resumed joint work on long-range missile projects, including the transfer of sensitive components.
Security analysts say this collaboration may now deepen. Ankit Panda, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told reporters that North Korea might play a key role in helping Iran recover from the strike.
“Pyongyang could provide important assistance in rebuilding destroyed missile production facilities, especially if Iran wants to relocate them to avoid further targeting,” Panda said.
But he added that true nuclear cooperation between the two countries is less likely, at least in the open. “There are areas especially in weapons design where North Korea would be cautious. Sharing that kind of sensitive information could risk exposure to U.S. intelligence, which might undermine their own deterrence.”
Still, Pyongyang’s track record in military aid to allies is growing. Over the past year, North Korea has reportedly sent arms, including ballistic missiles, to Russia for its war in Ukraine—moves condemned by the West but welcomed in Moscow and Tehran.
In Japan, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida called for calm, urging all parties to de-escalate. “Further conflict will only bring more suffering and uncertainty. Dialogue remains the best path forward,” he said during a press briefing in Tokyo.
While Washington has yet to respond to North Korea’s latest remarks, it has previously defended its military operations as necessary for regional security. Iran, for its part, has vowed retaliation but has not confirmed the extent of the damage.
The situation remains fluid, with experts warning that further military exchanges could pull the wider region into a deeper and deadlier conflict.
As the world watches closely, Pyongyang’s statement is a sharp reminder of how global alliances and enmities continue to shape today’s flashpoints.
