The relationship between North Korea and Iran was warm as from the early 2000s. During this period, the relation of each of this two nations started to improve with the United States. However, the speech by Bush in January 2002 that referred the countries as the “axis of evil” only strengthened the relationship of the two countries who formed an unlikely alliance so that they cannot be isolated from the outside world. This statement by Bush tarnished the chances America Iran rapprochement and moderation of North-South division in Korea. Missile Technology transfer from North Korea to Iran was reported in the same year. A purposeful corporation image of “axis of evil” was formed and it was stronger than before.
The two nation's status as the world's leading Pariah states has seen a growing cooperation between the regimes and their level of the military has greatly gone up. The two nations send high level of delegates to visit one another with the aim of making the ties even stronger.
Throughout the 2000s, South Korea and the Iran relationship continued to grow. Currently, there is a tone of discord and not convergence between the two countries. North Korea significantly opposed the attacks from the United States against the Taliban-rule Afghanistan, while Iran who had almost gone to war with this group three years earlier was not inclined to condemn the group’s intervention. Iran’s support to the Shia Hezbollah group continued in the Levant while North Korea has been acting as a minor contributor to the group and on the other hand, the PLO had been well supported by North Korea where Iran has been just minor supporters.
The dire need of oil of the Iranians has fueled the marriage between the two nations which seemed unlikely while the Iranians are after finding the sophisticated weapons from South Korea. The deals that are very common between the two countries up to date is the oil for arms deals. The Iranian are buying the technology of the advanced missiles while North Korea is after getting oil at a subsidized price and shipment. The Nodong missile of North Korea was modified to Shahab-3 missile of Iran which has a range to hit Israel and it is based on the scud system of the old Soviet.
The agencies of the western intelligence have got the information that the Iranians have succeeded recently in the modification of Shahab warheads so that it can be able to carry the nuclear warheads. There is an agreement between the two nations to share the nuclear technology after a successful cooperation between the two countries on the technology of missile, this is according to the officials of intelligence. Recently, North Korea conducted a successful test firing on a warhead nuclear showing that Pyongyang completed the work of developing their own weapons of the nuclear system in world's opinion defiance.
After the testing of the nuclear bomb by North Korea, the cooperation intensified. In 2011, it was revealed that there were several North Korea scientist in Iran trying to set up a computer technology for the Iranians where they were working on the Iranian nuclear facilities assisting Tehran where possible. During the test of the North Korea of the Nuclear in 2013, several Iranian scientists were present. In the nuclear deal that was made in July 2015, at least three delegations were sent by North Korea to help the Iranian in setting up a warhead nuclear and a system of missile that was ballistic.
The cooperation of technology that has been long-standing, combined with the support of North Korea, regional allies of the Iranian Hezbollah and Bashar in Syria indicates the Tehran and Pyongyang relationship has continued to grow. In keeping its economy afloat due to the crippling sanctions that are growing as it continues the missile and nuclear technology upgrade, North Korea is likely to continue with the partnership with Iran of oil for arms.
The government of Iran has insisted that the program of the Nuclear is only meant for energy production but the intelligence of the western has identified that the program of Teheran is meant for nuclear weapon development. After serious discrepancies in Iran's declaration to the agency of the international atomic energy, which was done by the body that is sponsored by the United Nations reached on the assessment. The suspicion concerning the program of the nuclear in Iran was raised first in 2003 when a number of the exiles from Iran revealed the existence of a number of nuclear facilities that were kept a secret so that they cannot be inspected by IAEA inspectors.
The United States has opposed the cooperation of North Korea with Iran and mostly the Republicans who have opposed the deal of the nuclear between the two countries. The committee of foreign affairs members of the United States has highlighted the consequences that are likely to be faced by the Iranians by being destabilized in it goes on with the nuclear cooperation with the DPRK.
It is believed that Iran gave the Tehran billions of dollars that are intended in the development of missiles that are ballistic. This extra income is likely to be of benefit to Pyongyang as North Korea has a cash-strapped economy and it is trusted in the supply of the arms since the 1980s to Iran. In eight years to come, there is the threat of security to the United States and Israel when the ban of the ballistic missile will be lifted and missile development in Iran will be no longer covert.
From the standpoint of South Korea, the DPRK’s cooperation with Iran is just a small set back and a big development. The relation between Iran and South Korea has a long history in trade relation maintenance, however, there is ROK'S alliance with the United States. The recent research indicated that only 10 percent of the South Korea who perceives as a beneficial nation to the world. But the diplomats from South Korea have been working to improve the foreign investment linkages, cooperation on energy and the cultural ties.
The ratification of the nuclear deal of Iran has led to increases in oil shipment from Tehran to South Korea. At least 80%have been observed between 2015 and 2016. A large investment has been made by South Korea in a light form of oil which is used in the manufacture of various products including petrochemicals and fuels. This is an opportunity for Iran to enter the global market after several years of isolation. This is not likely in anyway break the Iran relationship with South Korea despite the North Korea and Iran military relations.
Just recently, the US senator asked the national intelligence director if they had any information concerning the cooperation of nuclear between Iran and North Korea, the community of American Intelligence and the admiration of President Obama tended to dodge the question concerning the nuclear collaboration of the two nations.
This silence did not indicate that there is a cooperation between the two nations to the level that is undefined. There is a likelihood that North Korea could have not easily provided the nuclear technology to Iran but Iran has a more ambitious space and a rocket program and it is more advanced scientific community than North Korea. Even though there is need of Iran engaging in the nuclear networking with North Korea, it does not mean that Iran could not stand by itself.
The two countries have very little to exchange apart from militarization. Iran nuclear deal is deepening and this means that there is an improvement on economic ties with the European countries. And this nears the end of a United Nations arms embargo, North Korea is likely to fade from any role as a Tehran ally.
In 2012, it was the year of the watershed between the two nations as the Tehran nuclear deal was being completed by the US president Barrack Obama. According to Israel BESA center, Iran and North Korea have been working on miniaturizing an implosion of the nuclear device so that they can fit the weight and specifications of the Shahab-3 vehicle reentry. The countries’ interface of nuclear and ballistic are unique and they may last for long and North Korea is ready in circumventing the deal of the nuclear while Iran is in the capacity to help to assist North Korea in upgrading its own strategic capacities.
The Parchin Connection It should set off alarm bells that North Korea and Iran have been working The Parchin Connection It should set off alerts that North Korea and Iran have been cooperating to conquer a portion of the rest of the difficulties that keep Pyongyang from focusing on the U.S. country with atomic warheads — specifically, the warhead-scaling down process and the flawlessness of its long-run ballistic rockets. Yet, some of that work has been done at Parchin, the Iranian office that Tehran demands is a military site and keeps beyond reach to universal investigations. Parchin ought to be natural. At the point when Obama administration authorities were concocting their atomic manage Iran, they over and over guaranteed that fundamentally imperative "whenever anyplace" assessments would need to be a piece of the assertion. In 2015, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei over and again dismissed any entrance to what he called military destinations, including Parchin. So Team Obama thought of a mystery side concurrence with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which would enable Iran to examine its own particular site and give its own particular soil tests.
At the present, the collaboration of the two nations presents a dangerous collaboration to the world. North Korea and Iran are focusing on the intercontinental ballistic missile testing. The support that is given from Iran is giving Kim Jong-un hope in his intention of making it faster on intercontinental ballistic missile and a warhead nuclear that could be used to hit the territories of United States. This tests that were carried out in 2016 could work by 2018
Another danger is that North Korea is making great achievements on the major weapons of the nuclear up to now. The Nadong missile development as an intermediate range nuclear warhead. This has not been disclosed to the administration of the United States in spite of discovering the information since 2013 from the intelligence chief of national security correspondence, the report written by Nelson, and from a top South Korean diplomat Wi Sung-lac. The United States was also informed by the Chinese intelligence scientists that by 2016, North Korea was likely to have more than 40 nuclear warheads. Nadong has twin missile in Iran known as a Shahab-3 missile. The Middle East and Israel might be the possible target of Iran. The Nadong nuclear warheads are sufficient enough in North Korea for Iran to acquire some. The use of clandestine sea and air networks for transportation and movement of the missiles to Iran and Syria from North Korea have been really successful. There have been very minimal interdictions.and very soon North Korea will attempt to move the Nadong to Iran. This means that Iran will soon have many weapons and will be just unstoppable
Iran is being supplied with technology, raw materials and components to use in the implementation of its program of weaponization which is intended in the building of the plutonium reactor. Iran is greatly being supported by North Korea in the production of this plutonium reactor with warheads. This reactor is expected to be very powerful which North Korea has employed in building its many nuclear warheads at their complex of nuclear.
The two countries' top officials are holding meetings frequently and this is worrying the United States government over the strong military relation these two countries have forged. The visitation of the North Korea president in Iran in August was followed by a series of meetings between two nations and these meetings are very suspicious. This North Korea top administrators were attending the inauguration of President Hassan Rouhani but other issues that were discussed there remain suspicious. All these meetings have been so secretive not even top officials are aware of what is being discussed.
Recently, European countries were threatened by revolutionary guard corps of Iran saying that they feel that Europe is not a threat so far so the range of missiles was not increasing. Missiles range will be increased once they realize that they are a threat. After launching a ballistic missile reaching around 2500 miles, this is not a surprise. It is believed that Iran is getting the nuclear technology from North Korea.
Because both North Kore and Iran are enemies of the United States, Iran has followed the same aggressive path as North Korea. Iran president was noted recently saying that it would start a program within a matter of hours. With the US increasing its sanctions against the states, they are said to be accelerating their technology towards the program of missile development.
The relationship between the two countries is very strong by now and it was forged in secrecy. The collaboration between the nations is not well known to what extent it has grown. It is not even known how long this relationship will last from now.
Works cited
Narang, Vipin. "Nuclear Strategies of Emerging Nuclear Powers: North Korea and Iran." The Washington Quarterly 38.1 (2015): 73-91.
Haines, John R. "Foreseeable, foreseen, ignored: is Iran advancing its missile program at home while offshoring its nuclear program to North Korea?." FPRI, E-Notes, http://www. fpri. org/articles/2016/01/foreseeable-foreseenignored-iran-advancing-its-missile-program-home-while-offshoring-its-nuclear-program-north-korea (2016).
Cho, Il Hyun. Global Rogues and Regional Orders: The Multidimensional Challenge of North Korea and Iran. Oxford University Press, USA, 2016.
