A friend sends along this interesting analysis of the relationship between North Korea and Iran, the two remaining members of the axis of evil. The author, Alon Levkowitz, is a lecturer at the Department of East Asian Studies at Tel-Aviv University. According to Levkowitz, there is ample evidence of nuclear cooperation between the two regimes, and Iran appears to have provided much of the finding for the North Korean missile program. The returns on that investment were apparent in Iran’s proxy war with Israel last summer. And there’s little reason to doubt that the close relationship between the two will hasten Iran’s nuclear capability.
Another example of the cooperation between the two states involved reports of the joint development of an advanced version of the C-802 cruise missile, used by the Hezbollah in the last Lebanon war against the Israeli battleship “Hanit”. On July 4, 2006, North Korea held missile testing that included the failed launch of the Taepodong-2 (ICBM) missile and other upgraded short and middle range missiles. According to foreign sources, an Iranian delegation participated in the missile tests.
These events provided yet another indicator of the continuing missile collaboration between the two states. Such cooperation not only increases North Korea’s domestic export, but also allows Pyongyang to share information and benefit from missile experiments in Iran while avoiding political costs of conducting flight tests on home ground. Furthermore, the partnership contributes in advancing North Korean missile sales to other customers in the Middle East, such as Syria and Egypt. . . .
During the last two decades, nuclear experts and political delegates from North Korea and Iran have held visitations and increased the technological collaboration between the two states. Delegations from both countries have visited Pakistan as well. According to intelligence communities, Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan has provided the knowledge and some of the hardware for both the Iranian and the North Korean nuclear programs. Foreign intelligence sources even stated that the North Korean nuclear program was partially funded by Iran. The increase in Iranian financial assistance to the North Korean nuclear program, in conjunction with a decrease in other foreign assistance to that country, has made Iran an important ally to North Korea. According to intelligence reports, the nuclear test that North Korea conducted in October 2006 coupled with the sanctions on North Korea, Security Council resolution 1718, and the tension between Iran and the United States will further increase the nuclear collaboration between Iran and North Korea.
You can read the full analysis (pdf) here.
