Claim: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country would provide missiles to Iran if they send a formal request, warning that even a single missile could be enough to devastate Israel.
Fact: There is no credible evidence that Kim Jong Un made such a statement about supplying missiles to Iran in connection with the current conflict.
A viral social media post claims that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country would provide missiles to Iran if the country formally requested them, warning that even a single missile could be enough to devastate Israel. The claim circulated amid the ongoing US-Israel war with Iran, showing an image of Kim Jong Un standing in front of Iranian and North Korean flags while presenting a missile.
The Urdu text on the image reads:
“اگر ایران نے مطالبہ کیا تو ہم اسے اسرائیل کے خلاف میزائل فراہم کریں گے، بیمار ایک میزائل بھی اسے صفحہ ہستی سے مٹا دینے کیلئے کافی ہے: کم جونگ ان”
[Translation:
“If Iran requests it, we will provide it with missiles against Israel. Even a single missile would be enough to wipe it off the face of the earth: Kim Jong Un.”]
Rising regional tensions and claims of external military support
The viral claim about North Korea supplying missiles to Iran is circulating amid heightened tensions in the Middle East following the United States and Israel’s airstrikes in Iran on 28 February 2026. The attacks triggered retaliatory missile and drone strikes by Iran across several Gulf nations, raising fears of a wider regional conflict and drawing international attention to the military capabilities and alliances of countries involved. As of 16 March, preliminary casualty figures reported by Al Jazeera put the death toll at 1,444 in Iran, at least 15 in Israel, 13 US soldiers and 19 in Gulf states. Separately, the Pentagon has said about 140 US troops have been injured.
As the conflict has intensified, speculation about potential external support for Iran has also increased online. Some of that speculation has been fuelled by recent developments involving North Korea, including missile launches and official condemnation of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran. These narratives have spread rapidly across platforms, with quotes and AI-generated images being shared as supposed proof of geopolitical alliances or threats.
North Korea and Iran have historically faced international sanctions over their missile and nuclear programmes, and analysts are now discussing the possibility of technological cooperation between the two countries amid the strikes. In this fast-moving information environment, unverified claims and manipulated visuals can spread widely before they are checked. Particularly, claims circulating online about direct military pledges or threats made to Iran, Israel or the US amid the ongoing conflict lack verification from credible international media or official government statements. It appears that the post claiming that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened Israel and offered missiles to Iran is one such example
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check examined the viral claim that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un publicly said his country would provide missiles to Iran if requested and that “even one missile” would be enough to destroy Israel.
The post attributes an inflammatory statement to Kim Jong Un, but it does not cite any speech, interview, press release, or official source in which he can be seen or heard making the remark. It presents the quote as fact without offering any evidence of when, where, or in what context it was allegedly made.
By pairing the quote with an image, the post suggests that North Korea has openly threatened Israel and pledged missile support to Iran. However, Soch Fact Check found no verified statement from North Korean officials and no credible international media report confirming that Kim Jong Un made this remark.
To verify the claim, Soch Fact Check searched for the statement in credible international media coverage, official North Korean channels, and other verifiable public sources. We found no evidence that Kim Jong Un made the comment being circulated in the post. No reputable news organisation appears to have reported the quote, and no official statement matching its wording could be located.
Official Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) messaging that Soch Fact Check reviewed did show political support for Iran, but did not confirm the statement shared in the viral claim. According to Reuters, North Korea’s state media, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), published Foreign Ministry statements condemning the US and Israel’s attacks on Iran as illegal acts of aggression. However, it did not mention any statement by Kim Jong Un matching the wording in the viral post. KCNA quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesperson as saying that North Korea “respects the right and choice of the Iranian people to elect their Supreme Leader”.
Given the absence of any credible source, the claim appears to rely on an unsourced attribution rather than verifiable reporting. In a fast-moving conflict environment, fabricated quotes are often circulated online to inflame tensions, especially when they involve prominent political or military leaders. Soch Fact Check has previously noted that false statements are attributed to military or political leaders in times of heightened conflict and embed links to fact-checks of such instances.
Considering that Soch Fact Check found no evidence that Kim Jong Un made the statement attributed to him in the viral post, the claim is rated as false.
Virality
The claim was shared here, here, here, and here on Instagram, and here on Threads.
It was shared here, here, and here on Facebook.
Conclusion: The viral post attributes an inflammatory statement to Kim Jong Un without any credible evidence, official source or verified media reports to support it.