North Korea Praises Iran's Selection of Mojtaba Khamenei as Supreme Leader
North Korea has praised the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s new Supreme Leader, succeeding the deceased Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and has again condemned attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran as “illegal military aggression”.
A spokesman for North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, quoted by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and reported by Al Jazeera on Wednesday (11 March 2026), stated that Pyongyang respects Iran’s choice to appoint Mojtaba to replace his late father, Khamenei, who was killed in the US-Israeli strike.
“Regarding the recent official announcement that Iran’s Assembly of Experts has selected a new Leader of the Islamic Revolution, we respect the right and choice of the Iranian people to have their Supreme Leader,” the North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said, as quoted by KCNA.
“We express deep concern and strongly condemn the aggression of the United States and Israel, which, by launching illegal military attacks against Iran, has damaged the foundations of regional peace and security and increased instability on the international stage,” he added.
The North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman also condemned the US-Israeli attacks for damaging the “political system and territorial integrity of a nation”, describing such actions as unacceptable and stating they “must be condemned and rejected by the entire world”.
Since the US-Israeli launched large-scale attacks on Iran on 28 February, North Korea has condemned them as “gangster-like behaviour” in the Middle East.
The KCNA also reported on Wednesday (4 March) that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw a test firing of strategic cruise missiles from the North Korean Navy’s destroyer Choe Hyon, which is claimed to be the newest and largest.
Speaking at this significant event, Kim Jong Un discussed the important strategic task of “maintaining and expanding a strong and reliable nuclear war deterrent”.
The missile test from the Choe Hyon warship was the second conducted within a week under Kim Jong Un’s direct supervision. The previous week, Kim Jong Un had praised his country for “arming the Navy with nuclear weapons”.