Iran Israel conflict: North Korea endorses Iran’s new leader as missile test signals wider war shadows

As the US–Israel war on Iran enters its second week, North Korea has thrown its weight behind Tehran’s new leadership while Kim Jong Un oversees a strategic missile test, underscoring how the conflict is drawing in nuclear-armed powers far beyond the Middle East.

The twin moves — political support for Tehran and a show of military capability — signal that the West Asia conflict is beginning to pull in nuclear-armed states far removed from the region, raising the geopolitical stakes of a war already rattling global energy markets and security calculations.

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North Korea endorses Iran's new supreme leader

North Korea publicly backed Mojtaba Khamenei, who was elected Iran’s new supreme leader after the killing of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a US-Israeli strike on February 28 — the opening salvo of a war that has now entered its twelfth day.

State-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesday quoted a spokesperson from North Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs endorsing the transition in Tehran.

"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," the spokesperson said.

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The statement places Pyongyang squarely among countries that have welcomed Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment, even as reactions worldwide have sharply diverged along geopolitical lines.

Global reactions split along geopolitical lines

Support for the new Iranian leader has largely come from states aligned with or sympathetic to Tehran.

Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said sent a formal message of congratulations, while Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani expressed confidence that the new leadership could guide Iran through "this sensitive stage."

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin pledged "unwavering support" to Tehran, describing Moscow as "a reliable partner" to Iran.

China also struck a cautious tone, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun saying the appointment was "based on its constitution" and warning against interference in Iran’s internal affairs.

Iran’s regional allies welcomed the move even more enthusiastically. Yemen’s Houthi movement hailed the appointment as "a new victory for the Islamic Revolution and a resounding blow to the enemies of the Islamic Republic."

Washington and Israel push backs

The reaction from Iran’s adversaries has been sharply critical.

Former US president Donald Trump dismissed Mojtaba Khamenei as a "lightweight," telling CBS News he had "no message for him," and claiming he had his own candidate in mind to lead Iran.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry went further, branding the new Iranian leader "another tyrant."

"Mojtaba Khamenei's hands are already stained with the bloodshed that defined his father's rule," the ministry said in a statement, while reports suggest the Israeli military has already issued threats against him.

Pyongyang condemns US-Israeli strikes

Alongside its endorsement of Iran’s leadership, North Korea sharply escalated its rhetoric against Washington and Tel Aviv.

In a strongly worded statement carried by KCNA, Pyongyang condemned the US-Israeli campaign against Iran.

"We express grave concern and strongly condemn the aggression of the United States and Israel, which, by launching an unlawful military attack against Iran, are undermining the foundations of regional peace and security and increasing instability in the international landscape," the North Korean foreign ministry spokesperson said.

The statement added that such actions violated the sovereignty of nations.

"The political system and territorial integrity of a country" had been undermined, the spokesperson said, conduct that "must be condemned and rejected by the entire world."

The language marked a notable escalation from Pyongyang’s earlier description of the attacks as “gangster-like conduct” shortly after the war began.

Kim Jong Un oversees cruise missile launch

At the same time that Pyongyang was issuing its diplomatic backing for Tehran, Kim Jong Un personally oversaw a strategic weapons test, according to KCNA.

The launch involved strategic cruise missiles fired from the Choe Hyon, North Korea’s newest and most powerful naval destroyer.

It was the second such missile test from the vessel conducted under Kim’s direct supervision. During a launch last week, he had praised the country’s progress in "arming the Navy with nuclear weapons."

Following Wednesday’s test, Kim stressed the importance of maintaining a strong deterrent capability.

He spoke of the strategic need to maintain and expand a "powerful and reliable nuclear war deterrent."

A wider geopolitical shadow over the Iran war

For decades, the United States has attempted to dismantle North Korea’s nuclear programme with limited success. Pyongyang has consistently argued that its nuclear arsenal is essential to deter any threat of invasion from South Korea and its Washington-backed allies.

The Trump administration had recently signalled a willingness to reopen high-level dialogue with Pyongyang, and Kim himself had suggested the two countries could "get along" if Washington accepted North Korea’s status as a nuclear power.

Whether that fragile diplomatic opening survives Pyongyang’s overt alignment with Iran in the midst of the US-Israel conflict now remains an open question.

For now, North Korea’s twin moves — backing Tehran politically while demonstrating its strategic firepower — underscore a sobering reality: a regional war in West Asia is increasingly casting geopolitical ripples far beyond its borders.