**From The Telegraph:**
Kim Jong-un is taking advantage of the US being distracted in the Middle East by making clear that boosting his country’s nuclear capabilities is his top priority.
North Korea has been carrying out a greater number of missile tests since the war in Iran broke out.
Since late February, Pyongyang has conducted five missile launches, including four in April, which is the most in a single month since January 2024, according to AFP.
One recent test, conducted last week and overseen directly by Kim, included short-range ballistic missiles armed with cluster munitions.
In late March, the regime tested an upgraded solid-fuel engine, which can be used to launch weapons that could reach the mainland US.
The missile tests often coincide with military activities in the region, especially those conducted by South Korea, such as its annual military drills with the US, known as Freedom Shield, which ran in March.
Lim Eul-chul, a North Korea expert at the South’s Kyungnam University, told AFP that the latest tests seemed to be part of a “sophisticated strategy” by Pyongyang to capitalise on the US’s current focus on the Middle East and shifting global dynamics.
“The current global security landscape has transformed into a ‘lawless zone’ where existing international norms no longer function,” he said, adding that North Korea is “exploiting this vacuum” to complete its nuclear arsenal.
**Read more here:** [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/27/kim-jong-un-north-korea-nuclear-missile-testing-us-iran-war/](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/04/27/kim-jong-un-north-korea-nuclear-missile-testing-us-iran-war/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_listnook_missile-testing-us-iran-war/&accesscontrol=facebookchannel_open)
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