North Korean leader Kim Jong Un defended his country’s nuclear arsenal, citing the ongoing Iran war as proof of the need for strong military deterrence, according to the South Korean state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).Speaking to North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly on Tuesday, Kim accused the United States of carrying out “terrorism and invasions” across various regions, referencing Washington’s conflict with Iran, though he did not directly mention US President Donald Trump.“Dignity, interest and the final victory of a country can only be guaranteed by the most powerful might,” Kim said, as reported by KCNA. “Whether the enemies choose confrontation or peaceful coexistence, that’s their choice, and we are ready to respond to any choice.”He vowed to further advance North Korea’s “defensive nuclear deterrence” and maintain a “prompt and precise” response posture for its nuclear forces to address “strategic threats” to national and regional security.North Korea “will continue to solidify its status as a nuclear weapons state … while aggressively staging campaigns to crush any provocations by hostile forces,” Kim added.Kim also escalated rhetoric toward South Korea, formally declaring it the “most hostile nation.”North Korea “officially” recognised South Korea as the most hostile nation and will thoroughly ignore and disregard it through the clearest remarks and actions,” Kim said, warning of “merciless” consequences if Seoul provokes Pyongyang.Meanwhile, US President Trump confirmed ongoing negotiations with Iran, claiming that the war was nearing its end.“We’re in negotiations right now. I can tell you, they’d like to make a deal and who wouldn’t if you were there? Look, their navy’s gone, their air force is gone, their communications are gone. pretty much everything they have is gone. I think we are going to end it. I cannot tell you for sure. We have won this… We literally have planes flying over Tehran and other parts of their country. They can’t do a thing about it. For instance, if I want to take down that power plant, they can’t do a thing about it... They are totally defeated… Militarily, they are dead,” he said.Iran, however, denied reports of negotiations and insisted peace would only come if the US and Israel ended their campaign. With Iran launching wave 80 of its retaliatory strikes, the Middle East remains volatile.
