North Korea Steps Up Anti-US Rhetoric in Initial Response to Strikes Against Iran
North Korea on March 1 issued a Foreign Ministry “spokesperson’s press statement [taebyonin tamhwa; 대변인 담화]” in response to the February 28 Israeli and US airstrikes on Iran. This initial pronouncement was stronger than the Foreign Ministry’s response to the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites in June 2025. Notably, it reflected the hardened view of the United States and the global order that was expressed in a summary report of the recently concluded Ninth Party Congress.
The unfolding situation in Iran and the Middle East will almost certainly reinforce North Korea’s mistrust of the United States. This, coupled with its growing self-confidence and self-perception as a more consequential global actor, will only make restarting any US-North Korea negotiations more challenging going forward.
Stronger Criticism
North Korea’s initial response to Israeli and US airstrikes in Iran was stronger both in terms of the statement’s level and the language used.
The March 1 Foreign Ministry “spokesperson’s press statement” was one level higher authority than the typical vehicle North Korea employs to comment on similar international issues: the Foreign Ministry “spokesperson’s answer [taebyonin taedap; 대변인 대답]” to Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). For example, the Foreign Ministry issued spokesperson’s answers on both the June 2025 US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and the January 2026 US raid in Venezuela that resulted in President Nicolas Maduro’s capture.
The March 1 statement used noticeably stronger language on the United States than what was seen in the June 2025 response. It called the strikes “an illegal act of aggression and the most despicable form of violation of sovereignty in their nature from A to Z” and “a sure logical result from the U.S. hegemonic and rogue nature,” and went on to state that “the DPRK condemns in the strongest tone the shameless rogue act of the U.S. and Israel.” By comparison, the June 2025 statement’s strongest critique was that North Korea “strongly denounces the attack on Iran by the U.S., which severely violated the UN Charter … and violently trampled down the territorial integrity and security interests of a sovereign state.” The March 1 statement was also harsher than North Korea’s response to the US raid in Venezuela—itself already stronger and more emotional than the June 2025 response to the US bombings in Iran.
The February 28 US and Israeli strikes on Iran were wider in scope and carried broader regional and international implications than previous actions, which may have prompted North Korea’s stronger response. However, the March 1 statement also reflected Pyongyang’s hardened view of the United States and the global order. Its references to “the U.S. hegemonic and rogue nature,” Washington’s “destructive role destroying global peace and stability and its grave consequences,” and countries having to “pay dear price” for not resisting “tyranny” with “powerful counteraction and adequate resistance” all align with the language and logic of the Ninth Party Congress summary report. Together, these portray the United States as a destabilizing force, justifying North Korea’s continued possession of nuclear arms. The summary report of the Ninth Party Congress said:
Under the signboard of the so-called “America first”, the U.S. is unhesitatingly resorting to aggression and use of force against sovereign states, advocating “strength-based peace” to meet its hegemonic ambition only, regardless of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and security interests of other countries.
The U.S. arbitrary practices that make the world noisy and uneasy are not new to us as they are only the continuance and extension of the top-class rogue and hegemonic practices we have always witnessed.
Due to the U.S. hegemonic policy, a serious change is taking place in the existing international order and structure of international relations based on the multilateral system and the standard of justice and the value of strength are being reevaluated.
…
It is a reality and lesson, seen and drawn by the international community through the present cruel geopolitical situation, that if one is strong, one can survive and develop under any conditions but if one is weak, one will fall victim to sanctions and aggression and, ultimately, will be deprived of sovereignty and territory.
Context
Pyongyang has been closely monitoring the possibility of US strikes on Iran since widespread protests erupted across Iran in late December 2025 and the United States intensified its military buildup in the region in the weeks that followed.
Media coverage of the protests was limited to straight news reports citing the Iranian government and officials and avoided providing details about the situation in Iran, reflecting the issue’s sensitivity, particularly given that these reports were also carried for North Korea’s domestic public. For example, North Korean media cited Iran’s claims of the outside forces’ attempt to “destroy social stability,” as well as US “maneuvers toward domestic interference” and involvement in “terrorist activities in Iran,” without further elaboration on the mass protests that had been ongoing since late December.[1]
Coverage of US-Iran tensions in the lead-up to the strikes was more detailed, with North Korean media reporting on the US deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln and other military assets to the region, as well as Iran’s responses.[2]
Conclusion
The Ninth Party Congress reaffirmed Kim Jong Un’s conditional openness to engagement with the United States, prompting renewed international media speculation about a potential summit between President Trump and Kim in the near future. However, Pyongyang’s apparently hardened conditions for dialogue, growing self-confidence, and its perception of playing a greater role on the global stage—exemplified by the Party Congress report’s assertion that North Korea stands “right at the centre” of efforts by “independent forces” to build “a fair and just multi-polar world”—all suggest that the prospects for successful US-North Korea engagement remain dim.
The Party Congress report also shows North Korea’s fundamental lack of trust in the United States, both as a dialogue partner and as a global actor. And the ongoing situation in Iran and the Middle East will likely only deepen that distrust rather than nudge its policy toward the United States in a more positive direction—a disposition encapsulated by this passage from the Party Congress report:
It is the truth proved by the present world and the law-governed principle in the international arena dominated by the gangster-like logic of jungle law that strength respects strength and to arm oneself with such powerful force as nuclear weapons is the only means capable of putting an end to the imperialist ambition for aggression.
- [1]
KCNA, “적대세력의 침략책동에 단호히 맞설 립장 강조 [Emphasizing the Position to Resolutely Stand Up to the Hostile Forces’ Aggression Maneuvers],” Rodong Sinmun, January 2, 2026; KCNA, “미국의 부당한 책동을 폭로규탄 [Exposing and Denouncing the Unjust Maneuvers of the United States],” Rodong Sinmun, January 15, 2026.
- [2]
Unidentified staff reporter, “미국의 대결책동에 강력한 보복을 예고 [Strong Retaliation Vowed Against U.S. Confrontational Maneuvers],” Rodong Sinmun, January 29, 2026; Ri Hak Nam, “위험단계에로 치닫고있는 이란-미국관계 [Iran-US Relations Racing Toward a Dangerous Stage],” Rodong Sinmun, February 6, 2026.