Viral claim about Kim threat to Israel over Iran conflict is false, fact-check finds

ISLAMABAD: A fact-check published by Express Tribune Latest has found false a viral social media claim alleging that North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un threatened to launch nuclear ballistic missiles at Israel if the United States used nuclear weapons against Iran.

Multiple accounts on X began circulating the claim from May 21, 2026, including accounts described as appearing to be pro-Iranian based on their earlier posts. The posts used a collage showing Kim Jong-Un alongside an Israeli flag and asserted that he had announced a nuclear strike on Tel Aviv and Washington, DC, in the event of a US nuclear attack on Iran.

One such post drew 1.7 million views, while another similar post received 90,000 views. A separate user shared the same image with a comparable caption and gained 27,000 views. Several other X users later reposted the same visual and similar claims, collectively drawing 64,000 views.

Express Tribune Latest reported that none of the posts included supporting details, a source, or any link showing where or when the alleged statement had been made.

Searches found no evidence of any such statement

The fact-check said it was launched because of the claim’s wide circulation and public interest in Kim’s position regarding the US-Israel conflict with Iran. Keyword searches did not produce any reporting from credible North Korean, American, Israeli, Iranian or international media organisations about any such recent announcement.

A review of Naenara, described as the official North Korean government portal for speeches and press releases, found no statement by Kim threatening either Israel or the United States with a nuclear missile attack. A review of the Korean Central News Agency also found no such announcement or similar report, while a check of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea Foreign Ministry website was likewise inconclusive.

Another keyword search was carried out to determine whether any well-known US departments, institutions, politicians or officials had responded to the alleged threat, or whether US and Israeli allies had condemned it, but no such reaction was found. There was no discussion of the alleged announcement in American or Israeli social media circles.

Recent reporting cited for context

As part of its review, the fact-check referred to a CNN report dated March 25, 2026, headlined Kim Jong Un uses Iran war to justify North Korea’s decision to keep its nuclear weapons. According to the fact-check, that report said Kim told North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly that the US war with Iran showed his country had been right to retain its nuclear arsenal.

The fact-check also cited an Al Jazeera report published on April 6, 2026, saying North Korea was keeping some distance from Iran in the hope of reviving talks with the United States. The report, citing South Korea’s National Intelligence Service, noted that while China and Russia had frequently commented on the US-Israel war on Iran, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry had issued only two relatively restrained statements.

The Express Tribune Latest report included the following passage from that Al Jazeera report:

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 fact-check noted that suggestions involving possible nuclear strikes are treated as extremely serious internationally, and said earlier remarks by Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump touching on the possible use of nuclear weapons had drawn global concern and condemnation. No comparable reaction was seen in relation to the current viral claim.

It concluded that the allegation that Kim had threatened a nuclear ballistic missile attack on Israel if the US struck Iran was false and that no such event had taken place. The fact-check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan, a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.