Late last week, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley raised the issue that the Iranian Regime was gifting ballistic missiles to Yemen’s Houthi militias but that’s far from the only present the Iranian Regime is handing out. But the bigger concern now is the money that Iran is gifting to “Little Rocket Man” in North Korea or NOKO, and the technology and missile materials Iran receives and swaps in return.
It was no mystery what the discussion was back in August when NOKO’s No. 2 political leader and head of its legislature, Kim Yong-nam, flew to Tehran for a 10-day visit during NOKO’s new embassy opening in Tehran and the inauguration of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Their subsequent lengthy meetings left no doubt with experts that the regimes are militarily collaborating.
They are also sending large amounts of money to North Korea in exchange for missile technology or material, which is incredibly “problematic” according to Emily Landau, a senior research fellow at the Israeli-based Institute for National Security Studies and head of the Arms Control and Regional Security Programme. She believes that the two rogue states are closely cooperating on not just their ballistic programs but also their nuclear ones and she isn’t alone.
Matthew Bunn, a nuclear proliferation expert, and professor of practice at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government explains both states see the West as a threat and are working together against a common enemy but this cooperation is no new thing.
“There’s been fairly extensive cooperation on missiles. And in fact, early generations of Iranian missiles were thought to be basically modestly adapted North Korean missiles.”
Now the U.S., UK, France, and Germany have joined together to condemn the Iranian Regime for continuing its nuclear programme in spite of the 2015 nuclear pact by launching a rocket that was “inherently capable of delivering nuclear weapons” as part of their ‘space’ programme.
CIA Director Mike Pompeo said that he would drive a dagger through the heart of the Iran-North Korea programme but as of yet, it appears that the dagger has barely broken the skin. Around Thanksgiving, the Washington Times reported, “An analysis from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy said U.S. intelligence has spotted Iranian defense officials in North Korea over the past year.”
Reva Goujon, vice president of global analysis at Stratfor, the world’s leading geopolitical platform, explained in her must-read article “Where the North Korean Crisis Meets the Iran Nuclear Deal“: NOKO’s goal undoubtedly is to have a “fully functional nuclear weapon and delivery arsenal,” and they are working with Iran to simultaneously obtain it. Goujon warned:
“Compared with North Korea, Iran sees a nuclear deterrent as more of a luxury than a strict necessity. Iran’s reliance on global energy trade, its heavy exposure to intelligence oversight from hawkish neighbors like Israel and its people’s ability to channel economic discontent into political change make its pursuit of nuclear arms more perilous. Iran’s influence across the Middle East gives it leverage with the United States” that NOKO only dreams about,“ she added.
There is no doubt about their collusion, so why not strike now?
WND criticised the nuclear deal– citing that the money gained by Iran may well be being used to fund North Korea- and stated that this has gone on long enough.
“It was beyond asinine for former President Obama to make his disastrous U.S. nuclear agreement with Iran, the crony of North Korea and the largest anti-U.S., anti-Israel and pro-terrorist sponsoring state in the world… Bottom line, the Obama administration emboldened and empowered Iran’s pursuit of nuclear power so its terrorist state could empower little rocket man’s nuclear power and cause the Trump administration to fight both enemies. When is Washington going to wake up and stop the global cycle insanity of feeding one enemy only to watch it feed another and having the whole situation bite us in the arse?,” he wrote.