North Korea Condemns U.S. and Israel's Strikes on Iran as 'Thuggish Behavior' [U.S. Strikes on Iran]

[Financial News] North Korea strongly protested the recent military operation by the United States of America (U.S.) and the State of Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran), denouncing it as "an unlawful and outrageous act of aggression and the most heinous form of violation of sovereignty." However, it stopped short of mentioning U.S. President Donald Trump by name.
According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on the 1st, a Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea stated in a commentary, "We strongly condemn, in the harshest terms, the shameless and thuggish behavior of the United States of America (U.S.) and the State of Israel, which do not hesitate to abuse military force in order to pursue their selfish and hegemonic ambitions."
North Korea argued that the U.S. military threat against Iran turning into actual military action "was already within the range of foreseeable possibilities" and claimed it was "the logical outcome that was bound to occur, given the hegemonic and gangster-like nature of the U.S."
It went on to criticize the recent increase in U.S. hegemonic actions observed by the international community this year as "a concrete example of their destructive role in undermining global peace and stability, and of the grave consequences that follow."
The statement also argued that "the arbitrary use of force and high-handedness by a tyrannical power, when not met with strong countermeasures and sufficient resistance, is forcing the parties directly concerned in regional situations to pay a heavy price." It warned that the current crisis "could have significant negative political, economic and geopolitical repercussions even in regions unrelated to the present situation in Iran." This has been interpreted as hinting at possible spillover effects on the situation in Northeast Asia.
North Korea stressed that "the acts of aggressive war committed by the U.S. and the State of Israel can never be tolerated under any circumstances" and insisted that they "must fully assume their due responsibility for restoring the trajectory of the Middle East situation toward peace and stability."
North Korea had also criticized the U.S. last month, when Nicolás Maduro was being ousted as president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, through a Q&A-style statement issued in the name of a Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The latest commentary is higher in both formality and intensity than that earlier statement, yet it still refrains from directly attacking President Donald Trump by name.
en1302@fnnews.com Jang In-seo Reporter