North Korea Leverages Global Rivalries to Justify Nuclear Build-up Amid Waning Iran Conflict

North Korea’s latest spirited defence of its nuclear arsenal signals a strategy that goes beyond rejecting international calls to disarm and instead leans into mounting global superpower rivalry to legitimise its weapons build-up.

The verbal offensive comes as North Korea could soon face renewed pressure to return to the negotiating table. Analysts say the winding down of the Iran conflict may allow Washington and its allies to refocus attention on the Korean peninsula.

Pyongyang has also seized on US commander’s description of South Korea as a “dagger” pointed at China, framing its nuclear arsenal as a legitimate response to an increasingly hostile regional security environment.

“The North is emphasising its role as a frontline actor in the broader US-China strategic rivalry as it seeks to improve ties with Beijing and gain support for its nuclear build-up, as well as greater economic and military help from China,” said Oh Gyeong-seob, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification.

“As the war in Iran draws to a close, North Korea is bracing [itself] for renewed international pressure for denuclearisation while closing ranks with China and Russia.”

On Saturday, a spokesman for North Korea’s foreign ministry accused Seoul of discarding its “mask of peace” by issuing a joint statement with the European Union at a summit in Brussels last week.