North Korean leader Kim Jong Un defended his country’s nuclear arsenal, citing the ongoing Iran war as evidence of the need for stronger military deterrence, according to the South Korean state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).Speaking at North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly on Tuesday, Kim accused the United States of carrying out “terrorism and aggression” in various regions, a reference to Washington’s conflict with Iran, though he did not directly mention US President Donald Trump.“Only the most powerful force can guarantee a country’s dignity, interests and ultimate victory,” Kim said, KCNA reported. “Whether enemies choose confrontation or peaceful coexistence, it is 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 “quick and accurate” response posture for its nuclear forces to deal with “strategic threats” to national and regional security.Kim said, “North Korea will continue to consolidate its status as a nuclear-weapon state… and will also carry out offensive operations to crush any provocations by hostile forces.”Kim also escalated his rhetoric towards South Korea and formally declared it the “most hostile nation”.North Korea “officially recognizes South Korea as the most hostile nation and will completely ignore and disregard it through clear comments and actions,” Kim said, warning of “merciless” consequences if Seoul provoked Pyongyang.Meanwhile, US President Trump confirmed the ongoing talks with Iran and claimed that the war is nearing an end.“We’re in talks right now. I can tell you, they would like to make a deal and who wouldn’t want to if you were there? Look, their navy is gone, their air force is gone, their communications are gone. Whatever they had is gone. I think we’re going to end it. I can’t tell you for sure. We have won it… We literally have planes flying into Tehran and other parts of their country. They can’t do anything about it. For example, if I want to remove that power plant, they can’t do anything about it...They are completely defeated…Militarily, they are dead,” he said.However, Iran denied reports of talks and insisted that peace would come only when the US and Israel end their operations. The Middle East remains unstable, with Iran launching its own 80 retaliatory attacks.
