North Korea Condemns US Strikes on Iran, Blames Israel for Regional Tensions

SEOUL — North Korea on Monday denounced recent US strikes on Iran, labeling them a breach of the United Nations Charter and attributing ongoing Middle East tensions to what it called the “reckless valor of Israel.”

This statement marks the first official reaction from nuclear-armed North Korea regarding the weekend’s US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites.

“The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea strongly condemns the US attack on Iran, which gravely violated the UN Charter’s principles of respecting national sovereignty,” a spokesperson for North Korea’s foreign ministry said, as reported by the country’s state news agency.

The spokesperson further stated that the rising tensions in the region are “an inevitable consequence of the reckless valor of Israel,” accusing the country of pushing its “unilateral interests through constant military actions and territorial expansion.”

On Sunday, Washington stated that its airstrikes had “devastated” Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, while maintaining that it does not aim to overthrow the Islamic Republic’s government.

“Monumental damage was done to all nuclear sites in Iran, as shown by satellite images. Obliteration is an accurate term!” US President Donald Trump posted on social media, though he did not release the images referenced.

North Korea, which is estimated to possess dozens of nuclear warheads and various missile systems, remains locked in a standoff with South Korea and its principal ally, the United States, which keeps around 30,000 troops stationed on the Korean Peninsula.

The Korean War, which lasted from 1950 to 1953, ended with an armistice, not a formal peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas technically still at war.