North Korean leader Kim Jong Un defended his country’s nuclear arsenal, pointing to the ongoing Iran-US war as evidence of the need for strong military deterrence, according to South Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Speaking at North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly on Tuesday, Kim accused the United States of engaging in “terrorism and invasions” in various regions, referring to Washington’s conflict with Iran, though he did not directly name US President Donald Trump.
“Dignity, interest and the final victory of a country can only be guaranteed by the most powerful might,” Kim said, as reported by KCNA. “Whether the enemies choose confrontation or peaceful coexistence, that’s their choice, and we are ready to respond to any choice.”
He pledged to further strengthen North Korea’s “defensive nuclear deterrence” and to maintain a “prompt and precise” response posture for its nuclear forces to counter “strategic threats” to national and regional security, according to KCNA.
North Korea “will continue to solidify its status as a nuclear weapons state, while aggressively staging campaigns to crush any provocations by hostile forces,” Kim further said.
In the same address, Kim also intensified his rhetoric against South Korea, officially describing it as the “most hostile nation.”
North Korea has “officially” recognized South Korea as the most hostile nation and will completely ignore and disregard it through clear statements and actions, Kim was quoted by KCNA as saying, while warning of “merciless” consequences if Seoul takes any steps that provoke Pyongyang.
US President Donald Trump had earlier claimed that negotiations with Iran are underway, asserting that the war is expected to come to an end.
“We’re in negotiations right now. I can tell you, they’d like to make a deal and who wouldn’t if you were there? Look, their navy’s gone, their air force is gone, their communications are gone. pretty much everything they have is gone. I think we are going to end it. I cannot tell you for sure. We have won this. We literally have planes flying over Tehran and other parts of their country. They can’t do a thing about it. For instance, if I want to take down that power plant, they can’t do a thing about it. They are totally defeated. Militarily, they are dead,” he said.
There has been no official response from Iran to the latest outreach from Trump. On Tuesday, Iranian officials denied any reports of ongoing talks with the United States, stating that peace would only be possible if the US and Israel halted their campaign. As the Iranian military continues to adopt a confrontational stance and has carried out its 80th wave of retaliatory strikes, peace in West Asia remains out of reach.
