Trump calls Kim Jong Un a ‘friend’ and plays down N Korea’s nuclear arsenal

US president’s comments came after he was asked why North Korea can have nuclear weapons when Iran cannot.United States President Donald Trump has described North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as “a friend” and played down concerns about Pyongyang’s nuclear arsenal, saying, “as long as I’m around, he’s going to be fine”.Trump made the remarks in Washington, DC, on Tuesday after a reporter asked him why North Korea could have nuclear weapons but Iran could not.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3North Korea deploys warship ‘capable of annihilating retaliatory strikes’list 2 of 3North Korea fires ballistic missiles off eastern coast, Seoul sayslist 3 of 3North Korea dismisses UN nuclear watchdog resolutionend of list“That’s interesting. You know why? Because you had a different president, and they could have stopped him,” he said, referring to previous US administrations.“He happens to be a friend of mine, Kim Jong Un, he’s a friend of mine. He likes Trump, doesn’t like a lot of other people. I’m about the only person in the entire world that he likes, and I like him,” he said.He said North Korea’s nuclear capacity was “pretty large” but “not like us”.“You know what, as long as I’m around, he’s going to be fine,” he added. “You know why? Because he respects me and he likes me.”South Korea’s Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back said last week that its northern neighbour possessed between 80 and 120 nuclear warheads. The figure is significantly higher than Trump’s recent assertion that Pyongyang has 57 nuclear weapons.Trump is seeking to re-engage with Kim and secure a win on the international stage as the US and Israel’s war on Iran enters its eighth month.The US president launched the war along with Israel on February 28, saying Iran could not have a nuclear weapon. Iran has denied seeking a weapon, noting it had signed an agreement with world powers in 2015 that curbed its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. But Trump abandoned the agreement during his first term in 2018.