North Korea condemns US attack on Iran, says it violates sovereignty and sparks war

North Korea Attacks US, Israel, Says It Supports Violence in the Region, Calls on the International Community to Resist Confrontation, While Watching Iran-North Korea Military Cooperation

On June 23, 2025, at 11:16 AM, Reuters reported that North Korean state media stated that North Korea strongly condemned the US attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, describing it as a serious violation of national security interests and sovereign rights.

North Korea's Foreign Ministry stated that the United States and Israel are the culprits behind the tensions in the Middle East, which stem from the relentless warfare and territorial expansion of Jerusalem, recognized and supported by the West.

An unnamed spokesman for North Korea's Foreign Ministry stated in a statement released by the KCNA news agency that "North Korea strongly condemns the US attack on Iran, which is a grave violation of the sovereignty and security interests of the state."

The statement also said, "The just international community should unite in condemning and rejecting the confrontation between the United States and Israel."

Iran and North Korea, both nuclear-armed, have maintained close ties, and for decades the two countries have been suspected of military cooperation, including in the development of missile technology.

A now-disbanded panel of experts who used to monitor U.N. sanctions reported in 2564 that Iran and North Korea had resumed cooperation on a long-range missile program, including the delivery of key components.

Ankit Panda, a researcher at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in the United States, stated, "North Korea may provide significant assistance to Iran in restoring its destroyed missile facilities, as well as establishing new locations to reduce scrutiny."

However, it said the possibility of the two countries collaborating in a concrete way to build or accelerate Iran's nuclear weapons program was unclear, given the political and military sensitivities surrounding such technology.

Ankit Panda added, "There are some things about weapons designs that North Korea doesn't want to disclose because if that information reached Iran, it could be discovered by the United States and become a way for the US to undermine North Korea's own deterrence capabilities."

However, North Korea has considerable experience in weapons production and may be able to assist Iran with not fissile materials (such as uranium or plutonium) but other components of a nuclear bomb, such as conventional explosives.

Over the past year, North Korea has conducted unprecedented levels of military support for another Iranian ally, Russia, sending thousands of troops, missiles and other weapons to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine, according to intelligence reports from the United States, Ukraine and other countries.

Reference: reuters.com

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