N Korea ‘respects’ Iran’s selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader

North Korea announced its support for Iran’s appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader, saying it respected Iran’s choice and the right of the Iranian people to elect their Supreme Leader, KCNA reported on Wednesday quoting a spokesperson from North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“North Korea has announced its support for Iran’s appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s supreme leader and again denounced the “illegal” attack by the United States and Israel on Iran, state media reports”

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Mojtaba Khamenei is identified in the report as the son of late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli attack at the start of the war on 28 February.

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KCNA quoted the ministry spokesperson saying, “Regarding the recent official announcement that the Iranian Assembly of Experts has elected a new leader of the Islamic Revolution, we respect the right and choice of the Iranian people to elect their Supreme Leader.”

North Korea strongly condemned the United States and Israel for what it called an unlawful military attack on Iran, saying the aggression undermines regional peace and security and increases instability in the international landscape, KCNA quoted the ministry spokesperson as saying.

The spokesperson said the attacks undermine “the political system and territorial integrity of a country”, called such actions unacceptable and said they “must be condemned and rejected by the entire world.”

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The report also said that following the launch of the US-Israel war on Iran 12 days ago, North Korea condemned what it branded “gangster-like conduct” in the Middle East.

KCNA reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw another test-firing of strategic cruise missiles from the country’s latest and largest naval destroyer, Choe Hyon.

“North Korea has announced its support for Iran’s appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s supreme leader and again denounced the “illegal” attack by the United States and Israel on Iran, state media reports”

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During the event Kim spoke about the important strategic task of “maintaining and expanding a powerful and reliable nuclear war deterrent”, according to KCNA.

The launch from the Choe Hyon was described as the second missile test from the destroyer overseen by Kim, who last week lauded his country “arming the Navy with nuclear weapons.”

The article notes longstanding tensions over North Korea’s weapons: the United States has for decades led efforts to dismantle North Korea’s nuclear programme but has had little influence on Pyongyang, while North Korea asserts such weapons are required to prevent any threat of invasion by South Korea and its allies in Washington.

It adds that in recent months the Trump administration indicated willingness to revive high-level talks with North Korea, and that Kim recently said the two nations could “get along” if Washington accepted his country’s status as a nuclear power.

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These points are presented without further detail or dates in the report.