North Korea respects Iran’s choice of new supreme leader, condemns US-Israeli attacks
Pyongyang voices support for Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment amid deepening Tehran-Pyongyang ties and ongoing Middle East conflict
SEOUL — March 11, 2026 — North Korea has announced its respect for Iran’s selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as the country’s new supreme leader, state media reported Wednesday, while strongly condemning the United States and Israel for what it termed “illegal military aggression” against the Islamic Republic .
An unnamed spokesperson for North Korea’s Foreign Ministry, speaking through the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), said Pyongyang respects “the rights and choice of the Iranian people to elect their supreme leader” following Sunday’s decision by Iran’s Assembly of Experts . The appointment came after the death of longtime Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli airstrike on February 28 .
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Official statement from Pyongyang
The KCNA statement, published Wednesday, marked North Korea’s first official reaction to Iran’s leadership transition. “With regard to the recent official announcement that Iran’s Assembly of Experts elected the new leader of the Islamic Revolution, we respect the rights and choice of the Iranian people to elect their supreme leader,” the Foreign Ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying .
The North Korean official went further, using the opportunity to denounce ongoing US and Israeli military operations against Tehran. “We express serious concern over and strongly denounce the acts of aggression by the US and Israel that are destroying the regional peace and security foundations and escalating instability worldwide by mounting an illegal military attack on Iran,” the spokesperson said .
The statement accused Washington and Jerusalem of violating Iran’s “political system and territorial integrity” and attempting to “overthrow its social system” . Such actions, the official added, “deserve worldwide criticism and rejection as they can never be tolerated” .
Wednesday’s statement follows an earlier North Korean condemnation on March 1, one day after the initial US-Israeli strikes, in which Pyongyang described the attacks as “gangster-like conduct” and an “illegal act of aggression” . Notably, neither statement directly criticized US President Donald Trump by name .
Iran’s leadership transition
Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was formally elected as Iran’s new supreme leader on Sunday by the 88-member Assembly of Experts, the constitutional body responsible for selecting the country’s highest authority . The election followed the elder Khamenei’s death in an Israeli airstrike on February 28, which marked a dramatic escalation in the ongoing conflict between Iran and the US-Israeli alliance .
According to reports, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran’s most powerful military and economic institution, has pledged its allegiance to Mojtaba Khamenei . Iranian state television has broadcast footage showing citizens in Tehran celebrating the new leader’s appointment .
The succession comes as Iran faces sustained military pressure. The US-Israeli campaign against Iran, launched on February 28, has reportedly resulted in more than 1,200 Iranian fatalities to date . In response, Iran has launched retaliatory drone and missile strikes targeting Israel as well as Gulf countries hosting US military assets. Eight US service members have been killed since the military campaign began .
International reactions
The international community has responded with sharply divided reactions to Iran’s leadership transition. US President Donald Trump expressed disappointment with Mojtaba Khamenei’s election, stating: “Because we believe this choice will ultimately exacerbate the same problems in Iran” . Trump had previously signaled his desire to have influence over Iran’s political future, a position Pyongyang’s statement implicitly rejected by emphasizing Iran’s right to choose its own leader .
Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a strongly worded condemnation, describing Mojtaba Khamenei as “a tyrant who, like Khamenei, will continue the cruelty of the Iranian regime” . Both Washington and Jerusalem have announced their intention to continue what they term “decapitation operations,” vowing to target whoever succeeds Khamenei .
By contrast, North Korea’s expression of support aligns it with Tehran’s other allies. Pyongyang and Tehran have maintained diplomatic relations since 1973 and are known to have close ties, particularly as both nations operate under international sanctions related to their weapons programs .
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Parallel military developments
Wednesday’s diplomatic statement coincided with a significant military development in North Korea. KCNA also reported that leader Kim Jong Un had overseen another test-firing of strategic cruise missiles from the naval destroyer Choe Hyon .
The launch marked the second missile test from the 5,000-ton destroyer supervised by Kim, who last week announced that North Korea was in the process of “arming the Navy with nuclear weapons” . During the event, Kim stressed the importance of expanding a “powerful and reliable nuclear war deterrent,” according to KCNA .
Images released by state media showed Kim monitoring the launch remotely via video footage, accompanied by his teenage daughter, Ju Ae, who is now widely regarded as his heir apparent . South Korea’s spy agency has indicated that Pyongyang appears to have begun the process of designating Ju Ae as Kim’s successor, with state media frequently releasing photographs of her accompanying her father on official duties .
The missile test came as Washington and Seoul kicked off their springtime military exercises, “Freedom Shield,” on Monday. Pyongyang responded to the joint drills by warning of “unimaginably terrible consequences” .
Strategic context: North Korea-Iran relations
The diplomatic expression of support for Iran’s new leadership must be understood within the broader context of North Korea-Iran relations. The two countries established diplomatic ties in 1973 and have maintained cooperation despite—or perhaps because of—their shared status as targets of international sanctions .
Both nations have faced decades of US-led efforts to dismantle their weapons programs, with limited success. In recent years, Pyongyang and Tehran have also reportedly provided weapons to Russia to support its war against Ukraine, further aligning their strategic interests .
Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP that North Korea appears to be “securing the legitimacy and justification for bolstering war deterrence” . With the war in Iran intensifying, Yang noted that joint US-South Korea drills are being highlighted by the North “as not merely defensive and routine, but ultimately attempts at a preemptive war” .
US-North Korea diplomatic backdrop
The diplomatic exchange occurs against a complex backdrop of US efforts to engage with Pyongyang. In recent months, the Trump administration has mounted a push to revive high-level talks with North Korea, eyeing a potential summit between Trump and Kim Jong Un this year .
During his Asia trip in October, Trump stated he was “100 percent” open to meeting with Kim, a remark that went unanswered by the North at the time . After months of ignoring those overtures, Kim recently indicated that the two nations could “get along” if Washington accepted Pyongyang’s status as a nuclear power .
Wednesday’s statement, while supportive of Iran, notably refrained from directly criticizing Trump, maintaining a distinction between denouncing US policy and attacking the US president personally . This nuance may reflect Pyongyang’s careful calibration of its messaging as it keeps diplomatic channels potentially open with Washington.
Latest developments
As of March 11, the situation in the Middle East remains volatile. Iran’s Assembly of Experts has formally installed Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader, with the IRGC and security apparatus consolidating behind the succession . US and Israeli military operations against Iranian targets continue, with both nations having stated their intention to persist with their campaign regardless of leadership changes in Tehran .
North Korea, for its part, has now clearly aligned itself with Iran’s position, rejecting US and Israeli military actions while affirming the legitimacy of Iran’s internal political processes. The statement from Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry serves both as diplomatic support for a longstanding ally and as a broader critique of US foreign policy in the region.
North Korea’s expression of respect for Iran’s selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as supreme leader represents a significant diplomatic gesture toward a longstanding ally during a moment of profound transition and conflict. Pyongyang’s statement, issued through KCNA, simultaneously supports Tehran’s internal political processes while condemning US and Israeli military operations against Iran as illegal and destabilizing.
The diplomatic position comes as North Korea itself engages in military demonstrations of its own, with Kim Jong Un overseeing missile tests against a backdrop of joint US-South Korean military exercises. For Pyongyang, the crisis in the Middle East provides both an opportunity to strengthen ties with a fellow sanctions-targeted state and a rhetorical framework for criticizing US foreign policy more broadly.
As the conflict continues and Iran’s new leadership consolidates power, the alignment between Pyongyang and Tehran—two of Washington’s most enduring adversaries—appears likely to deepen, with potential implications for regional security dynamics in both the Middle East and Northeast Asia.
SOURCES / INPUTS
KCNA: DPRK Foreign Ministry on Iran’s new supreme leader
AFP: North Korea respects Iran’s leadership choice, condemns US aggression
Reuters: Kim Jong Un oversees cruise missile test from Choe Hyon
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