South Korea has claimed that North Korea is distancing itself from Iran and did not supply weapons to Tehran during recent tensions, potentially aiming to restore diplomatic ties with the United States.
According to foreign media reports, South Korean intelligence indicated that North Korea appears to be moving away from its long-time ally Iran in an effort to establish new relations with the US.
Reports stated that lawmaker Park Sun-won, during a closed-door briefing, said Seoul’s National Intelligence Service found no evidence that North Korea provided weapons or support to Iran following the conflict that began in late February.
The intelligence agency noted that while China and Russia issued multiple statements regarding the conflict, North Korea’s foreign ministry has so far released only two cautious statements.
Although Pyongyang condemned US and Israeli strikes on Iran as illegal, it did not issue any public condolence message on the reported death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, nor did it congratulate Mojtaba Khamenei on becoming successor.
According to Park Sun-won, intelligence officials believe North Korea is adopting a cautious approach to potentially open a new diplomatic chapter with the United States once tensions in the Middle East ease.
