DPRK condemns US strike on Iran as 'grave violation' of sovereignty

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
Today 08:23

Pyongyang has criticized both the US and "Israel" for destabilizing the Middle East.

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People walk in Changjon Street on the 74th founding anniversary of the DPRK in Pyongyang, DPRK, on Friday, September 9, 2022 (AP)

The DPRK has issued a sharp rebuke of the recent US strike targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, denouncing the action as a serious infringement on Iran’s sovereignty and security. According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Pyongyang labeled the US attack "a grave violation of a sovereign state's security interests and territorial rights."

In a statement released by an unnamed spokesperson from the DPRK Foreign Ministry, the US and "Israel" were accused of provoking instability in the Middle East through what was described as “ceaseless war moves and territorial expansion,” a campaign “accepted and encouraged by the West.”

"(The DPRK) strongly denounces the attack on Iran by the US which ... violently trampled down the territorial integrity and security interests of a sovereign state," the spokesperson declared.

The statement further called for international solidarity against these actions: "The just international community should raise the voice of unanimous censure and rejection against the US and Israel's confrontational acts."

Last week, DPRK condemned "Israel's" military strikes against Iran, warning the United States and European powers against "fanning up the flames of war," according to a Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

Pyongyang expressed "serious concern" over "Israel's military attack and resolutely denounces it," the spokesperson stressing, emphasizing that "Israel's" killing of civilians was "an unpardonable crime against humanity."

"The illegal act of state-sponsored terrorism by Israel [is] heightening the danger of a new all-out war in the Middle East region," indicated the statement, which was published by the state-run news agency KCNA.

Pyongyang warned Trump and others against joining "Israel's" war on Iran.

US, 'Israel' strike Iranian nuclear facilities

This comes after Donald Trump announced that the United States carried out on Saturday what he described as a "very successful attack" on three Iranian nuclear facilities: Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.

Trump stated that a "full payload of bombs" was dropped on Fordow, the primary target, and confirmed that all US aircraft involved in the operation had exited Iranian airspace and were "safely on their way home."

He hailed the attack that targeted three Iranian nuclear sites as a “spectacular military success,” speaking from the White House Cross Hall.

“Tonight, I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated,” Trump declared.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed Saturday night that the United States’ military strike on the Iranian nuclear sites was carried out in full coordination with "Israel", calling the operation a necessary response to what he described as an existential threat.