Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, rejected Washington’s longstanding objective of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and said North Korea’s status as a nuclear weapons state could not be altered by what she described as unilateral U.S. rhetoric.

Her comments came one day before Xi is scheduled to arrive in Pyongyang for talks with Kim Jong Un, marking the Chinese leader’s first visit to North Korea since 2019 and highlighting Beijing’s efforts to reinforce ties with its isolated neighbor amid shifting regional dynamics.

“The U.S. assertion to backbite the status of the DPRK as a nuclear weapons state has no legally binding force,” Kim Yo Jong said in a statement carried by state media, using the acronym for North Korea’s official name. She also dismissed as “false information” a recent U.S. announcement that President Donald Trump and Xi had reaffirmed a shared commitment to North Korea’s denuclearization during a summit in Beijing last month.

The remarks underscore Pyongyang’s increasingly entrenched position on nuclear weapons since negotiations between Kim Jong Un and Trump collapsed in 2019 without an agreement on sanctions relief and disarmament measures.

Since then, North Korea has accelerated efforts to strengthen its nuclear and missile capabilities. During a visit last week to a newly established nuclear materials production facility, Kim Jong Un said the country would expand its nuclear forces at an “exponential rate.” State media reported Sunday that he also visited a weapons factory a day earlier and ordered a 2.5-fold increase in missile production capacity under the current five-year development plan.

Kim Yo Jong accused the United States and South Korea of pursuing continuous military buildups, arguing that North Korea’s policy of strengthening its nuclear deterrent was a defensive necessity and an irreversible strategic decision.

Security analysts say Xi’s visit is expected to focus on restoring China’s influence over North Korea at a time when Pyongyang has deepened its political and military cooperation with Russia. Observers expect Beijing to prioritize economic cooperation and regional stability while avoiding direct pressure on North Korea over its nuclear weapons program.

North Korea has emerged as a significant supporter of Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, supplying troops and conventional weapons, according to U.S. and South Korean officials. In return, Pyongyang is believed to have received economic support and other forms of assistance from Moscow, further strengthening ties between the two countries.

The latest exchange highlights the growing gap between Washington’s denuclearization objectives and Pyongyang’s declared intention to expand its strategic weapons capabilities, a divide that continues to complicate diplomatic efforts on the Korean Peninsula.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were fired from Jongju, a city on North Korea’s west coast, and traveled toward the sea. The military did not immediately disclose the number of missiles launched or their flight distances.

Seoul said it had strengthened its surveillance and readiness posture following the launches and was closely coordinating with the United States and Japan on intelligence assessments and monitoring activities.
The test was North Korea’s first known missile launch since April 19, when Pyongyang fired multiple short-range missiles that state media described as part of an exercise involving cluster-bomb warheads.

The latest launch extends a pattern of weapons testing that has intensified as North Korea advances its military modernization programs.
Kim has prioritized the expansion of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal and missile forces since negotiations with then-U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019 without an agreement on sanctions relief and denuclearization.

Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in reviving direct engagement with Kim. However, North Korea has largely ignored those overtures and has maintained that Washington must abandon demands for unilateral nuclear disarmament before meaningful negotiations can resume.

Relations between Pyongyang and Seoul have also deteriorated sharply. Kim has increasingly characterized South Korea as North Korea’s principal adversary and has moved to sever longstanding channels of inter-Korean cooperation and dialogue.

The missile launches came hours after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called for accelerated efforts to strengthen the country’s defense capabilities during a Cabinet meeting. Lee highlighted the importance of investing in artificial intelligence-driven military systems, expanding drone capabilities and examining the potential acquisition of a nuclear-powered submarine.

While Lee did not directly address Tuesday’s missile launches, he emphasized the need for South Korea to demonstrate its ability to safeguard its own security interests. He said a stronger national defense posture would reinforce the country’s alliance with the United States.

The latest test is likely to draw renewed scrutiny from regional security partners as tensions on the Korean Peninsula remain elevated and diplomatic engagement between North Korea and its neighbors shows little sign of revival.

In a statement, the UAE foreign ministry said Iran had launched nearly 3,000 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones toward the UAE and other countries across the region, causing civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure.

The ministry described the attacks as a violation of state sovereignty and a direct threat to regional security and stability.

“The UAE has condemned in the strongest terms the unprovoked Iranian attacks and threats targeting the UAE and countries across the region,” the statement said.

The ministry added that all measures taken by the UAE were defensive in nature and aimed at protecting civilians, infrastructure and national security interests.
It said attempts to pressure the UAE through “coercion” or what it called “malicious narratives and allegations” would not alter the country’s policies or undermine its sovereign decision-making.

The statement came after weeks of heightened regional tensions triggered by a military campaign launched by the United States and Israel against Iran on Feb. 28.

The conflict prompted retaliatory strikes by Tehran targeting Gulf states, Israel and US assets across the region, raising concerns over the security of energy infrastructure and maritime routes.

A ceasefire announced on April 7 has largely held despite sporadic skirmishes and continued diplomatic strain between regional powers.

The UAE has repeatedly called for de-escalation and regional stability while maintaining close security coordination with Western allies and Gulf partners amid the ongoing tensions.

The ministry said in a statement that defense systems were “actively engaging” aerial threats and urged residents not to approach or photograph debris from intercepted projectiles.The attack came hours after the U.S. military said American naval forces in the Strait of Hormuz had intercepted Iranian attacks targeting three U.S. Navy vessels late Thursday and carried out retaliatory strikes against Iranian military facilities linked to operations against American forces.

United States Central Command said in a social media statement that U.S. forces responded to “unprovoked Iranian attacks” with what it described as self-defense strikes. The military said no American ships were hit and added that Washington did not seek further escalation but remained prepared to defend U.S. personnel and assets in the region.

Donald Trump told reporters in Washington that the ceasefire agreement between Tehran and Washington was still in effect despite renewed hostilities.

The latest violence threatens a truce that has largely held since April 8 after nearly six weeks of conflict triggered by U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets beginning Feb. 28.The UAE was among the Gulf states most affected during the conflict, facing repeated missile and drone attacks that authorities attributed to Iran.

Emirati officials said this week that strikes reported on Monday and Tuesday marked the first attacks on UAE territory since the ceasefire took effect.

According to UAE authorities, the country has been targeted by more than 2,000 drones, hundreds of ballistic missiles and dozens of cruise missiles since the war began. Officials said most were intercepted, but the attacks killed at least 13 people, injured more than 200 and damaged energy infrastructure and prominent buildings.

Other Gulf Arab countries also reported attacks during the conflict despite maintaining they were not directly participating in the U.S.-Israeli military campaign against Iran.On Thursday, the UAE announced the formation of a national committee to document what it described as Iranian attacks and the resulting human, economic and material losses, laying groundwork for potential legal action against Tehran.

State news agency WAM said the committee, chaired by the UAE attorney general, would gather evidence according to internationally recognized legal and technical standards to support future claims for accountability, reparations and justice.The move followed renewed diplomatic tensions after the UAE condemned statements by Iranian officials accusing Abu Dhabi’s security cooperation with Washington of threatening Iran’s national interests.

The United Arab Emirates Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country’s defense partnerships were a sovereign matter.

Efforts to secure a broader settlement remain stalled after talks hosted by Pakistan last month between U.S. and Iranian representatives ended without a comprehensive agreement to halt the conflict permanently.

In a statement, the United States Department of State said Rubio expressed “gratitude” to the KRG for enabling oil from Iraq, including from the Kurdistan region, to reach international markets at a time when global prices have been unsettled by the conflict.

Rubio also conveyed condolences to families of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters killed in a March 24 missile attack and wished a speedy recovery to those injured. Kurdish authorities said at least six fighters were killed and about 30 wounded when missiles struck a military base north of Irbil.

A Peshmerga statement attributed the attack to Iran, describing it as a “treacherous attack” involving ballistic missiles targeting a headquarters facility in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The Iran war, which began on February 28 following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, has widened into a broader regional confrontation. Tehran has since launched retaliatory attacks on Israel and Gulf states hosting U.S. bases, while Israeli strikes have extended into Lebanon.

The escalation has rattled global markets, particularly oil, as supply routes and production hubs face heightened risk.Policy signals from WashingtonU.S.

President Donald Trump has offered varying objectives for the conflict, ranging from regime change in Iran to degrading its military and missile capabilities.

On Thursday, he said he believed his side had prevailed in the war, even as hostilities and their economic fallout continue.

The call with Kurdish leadership highlights Washington’s focus on maintaining energy flows and regional partnerships amid ongoing instability.

In a social media post, Trump said the United States would “hit and obliterate” Iranian power infrastructure if the strait was not “fully open, without threat” within the deadline, broadening the potential scope of U.S. military action to include civilian-linked facilities.

The Strait of Hormuz is a critical maritime corridor through which roughly a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows. Ongoing threats and disruptions have deterred shipping traffic, with the near-blockade triggering a surge in European gas prices of up to 35% last week.Energy markets have remained volatile as the risk to Gulf infrastructure intensifies.

The situation worsened after Iran responded to an Israeli strike on one of its major gas fields by targeting Ras Laffan Industrial City in Qatar, a key hub processing a significant share of the world’s liquefied natural gas. Damage from the strike is expected to take years to repair, according to reports.

Iran warns of broader retaliationIran’s Khatam al-Anbiya military headquarters said on Sunday that any U.S. attack on its fuel and energy infrastructure would prompt retaliatory strikes on American energy, information technology and desalination assets across the region.

The exchange of threats underscores a widening confrontation that increasingly targets economic and civilian-linked infrastructure, raising the stakes for regional stability and global supply chains.Israeli officials said Iran had fired long-range missiles for the first time since hostilities intensified on February 28, expanding the potential reach of the conflict.

According to Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir, Iran launched two ballistic missiles with a range of about 4,000 km at the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean.Zamir said the missiles’ range extended beyond the Middle East, placing European capitals within potential reach.

A source at Britain’s defense ministry said the attack occurred before London granted specific authorization on Friday for the United States to use British bases for strikes on Iranian missile sites.

The developments mark a significant expansion in both the geographic scope and strategic targets of the conflict, with direct implications for international energy flows and military alignments.