Kim Jong-Un threatens nuclear ballistic missile attack on Israel if US strikes Iran

RATING JUSTIFICATION

The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted keyword searches to corroborate the claim.

Multiple accounts, including accounts that appear to be pro-Iranian based on past posts, have been claiming in posts on social media platform X since May 21, 2026, that North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has announced a nuclear ballistic missile attack on Israel if the United States strikes Iran. However, nothing of the sort has occurred.

HOW IT STARTED

On May 21, a pro-Iranian account, based on its past posts, shared a collage of Kim Jong-Un and an Israeli flag with the following caption: “Just in: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has announced that if the United States attacks Iran with nuclear weapons, he will launch nuclear ballistic missiles at Tel Aviv and Washington, DC”

The post gained 1.7 million views.

Another pro-Iranian account shared the same visuals with a similar caption, gaining 90,000 views.

Another social media user posted the same visual with the following caption: “Urgent info: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has announced that if the United States attacks Iran with nuclear weapons, he will launch nuclear ballistic missiles on Tel Aviv and Washington, DC”

It gained 27,000 views.

Subsequently, other X users also shared the same visual with similar claims, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, and here; collectively gaining 64,000 views.

None of the posts provided any further details or any source or link to where and when the alleged threat was made.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality and keen public interest in the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un’s stance in the US-Israel conflict with Iran.

A keyword search conducted to verify whether any credible North Korean, US, Israeli, Iranian or international media outlets had reported any such recent announcement by Kim did not yield any results.

Investigating Naenara, the official web portal of the North Korean government for speeches and press releases, showed no statement made by Kim threatening Israel or the US with a nuclear missile attack.

A review of state broadcaster Korean Central News Agency also did not yield any such announcement by Kim or similar news.

Similarly, checking the website of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Foreign Ministry proved inconclusive as well.

Another keyword search was subsequently conducted to see if any renowned US departments, institutions, politicians or officials had responded to any such alleged threat or whether allies of the US and Israel had condemned the supposed warning, but nothing was found. There was also no discussion of any such alleged announcement on American or Israeli social media circles.

A keyword search for “North Korea”, “Kim Jong-Un” and “Iran” to check the last time there was news coverage on the issue yielded a news report of CNN, dated March 25, 2026, with the following headline: “Kim Jong Un uses Iran war to justify North Korea’s decision to keep its nuclear weapons”

As per the report, Kim delivered a speech at North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly and shared that the US war with Iran proved that his country made the right decision to keep its nuclear weapons.

An April 6, 2026, news report by Al Jazeera stated that North Korea was distancing itself from Iran in hopes of reviving talks with the US.

It further said that as per South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, “while Iran’s other allies China and Russia have frequently issued statements on the US-Israel war on Iran, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry has only issued two toned-down statements so far.

“While Pyongyang did condemn the US and Israeli attacks on Iran as illegal, it did not issue public condolences after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death or send a congratulatory message when Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, succeeded him.”

The possibility of nuclear strikes is a starkly serious issue and previous hints at even the possibility of using nuclear weapons by Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump have elicited international concern and condemnation. However, nothing of the sort was observed about the current claim.

FACT-CHECK STATUS

The claim that North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has threatened a nuclear ballistic missile attack on Israel if the US strikes Iran is false.

Nothing of the sort has occurred.

EVIDENCE AND REFERENCES

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Foreign Ministry website:
http://www.mfa.gov.kp/

Naenara website:
http://www.naenara.com.kp/main/index/en/first

Korean Central News Agency website:
https://kcnawatch.org/

Mar 25, 2026, CNN news report:
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/03/25/asia/north-korea-nuclear-weapons-justified-iran-war-intl-hnk

April 6, 2026, Al Jazeera news report:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/6/north-korea-keeping-iran-at-arms-length-reports-seoul