As the United States moves air defense assets out of South Korea to help fight Iran as the conflict entered its 12th day on Tuesday, North Korea test-fired cruise missiles from its latest warship – raising fears of a weakened deterrent against the nuclear-armed country.
North Korea conducted a similar missile test from a vessel last week, claiming the country was in the process of “arming its navy with nuclear weapons.”
Kim Jong-un was later quoted by the state-run Korean Central News Agency as indicating that important achievements had been made in the practical use of strategic and tactical strike capabilities and their deployment for “real war”.
This comes as North Korea puts its weight behind Iran’s new supreme leader as it also condemned US strikes against Iran.
Defying US President Donald Trump’s wish to have a say in who runs Iran, the Islamic Republic on Sunday named Mojtaba Khamenei to replace his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on February 28.
North Korea, which took sides, said: “We respect the rights and choice of the Iranian people to choose their supreme leader,” also condemning the US and Israel for destroying regional peace and escalating global instability.
But concerns remain – what real war is North Korea talking about? Will the US-Israeli conflict with Iran eventually drag other countries into war?
Amidst the war, the US and South Korea also recently launched their “Freedom Shield” spring military exercises – which North Korea responded by likening to them as “preventive war attempts” as it also warned of “unimaginably dire consequences”.
The North emphasized that the drills are not merely defensive and routine, but are ultimately attempts at preventive war.
US reaction to the election of Mohtaba Khamenei
After Iran elected Mojtaba Khamenei as its new supreme leader, Donald Trump dismissed the election as Tehran making a “big mistake”. Trump has previously said he wants a say in determining Iran’s leader, which Tehran has rejected.
On February 28, the United States and Israel launched several strikes against Iran, and Iran responded with strikes of its own against Israel and Gulf states with American bases.
While Iran claimed that it was not targeting its neighboring allies, but those that were being used to launch an attack on Tehran. Trump, who did not set a timeline for the conflict that has sent oil prices soaring around the world, also hinted that it may be in its final stages.
