Kim Jong Un Says Iran War Justifies North Korea’s Nuclear Deterrence
Pyongyang: North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un defended his country’s decision to pursue nuclear weapons, saying the ongoing war involving Iran demonstrates the need for a strong military deterrent, according to South Korean state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). In remarks reported by KCNA, Kim accused the United States of carrying out “terrorism and invasions” in different regions in his speech to North Korea’s Supreme People’s Congress on Tuesday and referred to Washington’s ongoing conflict with Iran, but did not directly mention US President Donald Trump.
“A country’s honor, interest and ultimate victory can only be guaranteed by the strongest power,” KCNA quoted Kim as saying. he said. “Whether enemies choose confrontation or peaceful coexistence, that is their choice and we are ready to respond to any option.” He vowed to further advance North Korea’s “defensive nuclear deterrent” and maintain a “swift and decisive” response posture of its nuclear forces against “strategic threats” to national and regional security, as reported by KCNA. “North Korea will continue to consolidate its status as a nuclear-armed state while waging aggressive campaigns to crush any provocations by hostile forces,” Kim said, according to KCNA.
In the same speech, Kim also increased his rhetoric against South Korea and officially declared South Korea the “most hostile country”.
“North Korea has ‘officially’ recognized South Korea as the most hostile nation, and will completely ignore and ignore it through the clearest statements and actions,” Kim said, warning of “draconian” consequences if Seoul takes any action that provokes Pyongyang.
Meanwhile, US President Trump had previously confirmed that negotiations with Iran were continuing and claimed that the war would end. “We’re in negotiations right now. I can tell you, who wouldn’t want to make a deal if you were there? Look, their navy is gone, their air force is gone, their communications are gone. Pretty much everything they have is gone. I think we’re going to finish this. I can’t tell you for sure. We won this… We literally have planes flying over Tehran and other areas.” They can’t do anything about it. “For example, if I want to destroy that power plant, they cannot do anything… They are completely defeated… They are dead militarily,” he said. There was no official response from Iran to Trump’s latest move. The Iranians denied the reports of any negotiations with the USA on Tuesday and claimed that peace could only be achieved if the USA-Israel stopped its campaign. Peace still cannot be achieved in West Asia, with the Iranian army taking an aggressive stance even while launching the 80th wave of retaliatory attacks.
