Iran strikes spotlight chances for North Korea to resume nuclear talks with Trump

The military operation was inevitable, given the “hegemonic and rogue” nature of the United States. Read more at straitstimes.com.

SEOUL - US and Israeli military strikes on Iran will reinforce the nuclear ambitions of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, say experts and former officials, as attention focuses on whether he might return to negotiations with President Donald Trump.

Talks to tackle Pyongyang’s arsenal of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, subject to heavy international sanctions, broke down despite summits between Kim and Mr Trump in 2018 and 2019, but the attacks on Iran could spur it to reconsider.

The Iran strikes, which killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, come two months after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, another leader without a nuclear deterrent, was captured in a raid by US special forces ordered by Mr Trump.

“Kim must have thought Iran was attacked like that because it didn't have nuclear weapons,” said Mr Song Seong-jong, a professor at Daejeon University and a former official of South Korea’s Defence Ministry.

The military operation was inevitable, given the “hegemonic and rogue” nature of the United States, a spokesperson for North Korea’s foreign ministry said in a statement published by state media on Feb 28.

Just a few days before the attack, Kim had pledged to build more nuclear weapons at a ruling party congress last week, though he left the door open for more talks, depending on Washington’s attitude.