North Korea condemned the U.S. and Israeli military operations against Iran as "illegal and outrageous acts of aggression and the most despicable form of sovereignty violation."
Analysts predict that Chairman Kim Jong Un will become more fixated on nuclear capabilities following the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. Concerns over the safety of supreme leaders are also expected to make U.S.-North Korea dialogue more difficult.
According to North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency on the 1st, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement: "We condemn in the strongest terms the shameless, thuggish behavior of the United States and Israel, who do not hesitate to abuse military force to achieve their selfish and hegemonic ambitions."
The spokesperson added: "Tyrannical coercion and arbitrary actions that do not face strong response and sufficient resistance are forcing regional parties to pay a heavy price. This raises concerns that could have politically, economically, and geopolitically significant negative impacts on regions unrelated to the current Iran situation."
The statement suggested the crisis could negatively affect the situation in Northeast Asia as well.
Observers note that North Korea, having watched Iran suffer one-sided attacks from the U.S. and Israel, is likely to intensify its nuclear weapons development as a means of ensuring self-defense.
However, both North Korea and the United States have recently expressed willingness to improve relations, drawing attention to whether talks will materialize. At the summary report of the 9th Party Congress held February 20-21, Chairman Kim stated: "If the United States respects our nation's current status as enshrined in the DPRK Constitution and withdraws its hostile policy toward Korea, we have no reason not to get along with the United States."
In response, the White House stated that "President Donald Trump remains open to dialogue with Kim Jong Un without any preconditions."
President Trump is scheduled to visit Beijing from the 31st of this month through the 2nd of next month. While some speculated this trip could facilitate U.S.-North Korea talks, the Iran crisis is expected to complicate such prospects. The U.S. recognition of North Korea's nuclear-state status, which Pyongyang presented last month as a precondition for improved relations, remains a significant obstacle.
Some analysts suggest Chairman Kim may still pursue dialogue with President Trump to avoid confrontation. When President Maduro was arrested in January, North Korea criticized the U.S. through a Foreign Ministry spokesperson's Q&A format. Notably, as with that occasion, this statement did not directly criticize President Trump personally—a detail that supports this view.