Iran hails N Korea for standing against ‘unilateral’ US demands

He made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Vice Chairman of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly Pak Chol-min in Tehran on Tuesday.

Larijani said that North Korea adopted an “intelligent” decision in the face of Washington’s “unilateral demands,” adding that “the Americans are not after striking a true deal with North Korea, but they merely want to disarm the country and put pressure on it.”

He also denounced the US’s arrogant nature, adding, “North Korean leader [Kim Jong-un] acted properly during negotiations with the Americans and did not allow them to reach their objectives.”

Larijani further hailed North Korea’s pursuit of economic independence, expressing Iran’s keenness to boost bilateral economic ties with the East Asian country.

The North Korean official, for his part, emphasized that the Islamic Republic, under the guidance of Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, has stood firm against excessive US demands.

Iran and North Korea, which are both under tough US sanctions, should expand their cooperation in all fields, especially economy, he noted.

The official also complained about illogical and unilateral US demands during talks with North Korea, saying that the Americans threw a wrench in the discussions over the issue of sanctions.

North Korea has been the target of American and international sanctions over its nuclear and missile programs.

In June 2018, US President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader held a historic meeting in Singapore. A second summit in Hanoi in February broke up amid disagreement on sanctions relief.

North Korea tests missiles, slams US-South Korea drillsNorth Korea has test-fired two short-range missiles, warning the US and South Korea that their war games imperil engagement and negotiations.

In their third, brief meeting at the Korean border in June, Kim and Trump agreed to kick-start working-level talks.

But the talks have effectively stalled in recent months after the collapse of the second Trump-Kim summit, which came after Pyongyang reportedly demanded that the US lift sanctions in exchange for denuclearization.

The North has, in recent weeks, resumed the missile tests that it had stopped to give the diplomatic process with Seoul and Washington a chance.