NOKO and Iran Nuclear

There is a good opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal today that talks about the nexus between the nuclear programs of North Korea and Iran.  That relationship will bear on the meeting between the US and North Korea in May.

The Iranians, we all remember, have a deal to hold off their nuclear program in exchange for cash from the Obama Administration and other benefits yet to be decided.  It was certainly not a good deal if we allow Iran to attend testing of weapons and delivery vehicles in North Korea.  They have done that.  

Richard Goldberg and Mark Dubowitz put together some interesting likenesses in Iran and North Korean weapons, though they did leave out the contributions of Pakistan to all of this development.  It wasn’t just these two that got together.   They are also rightly critical of the EU in allowing the Iran nuclear agreement to put weapons grade processing capability in Iran so they can do the development on their own.  The Iran Nuclear Deal, so touted by President Obama, was never characterized as a “good deal” by anyone.  But as a reminder, their conclusion is this:  “ The path to a denuclearized Korean Peninsula thus runs through Tehran.”.   

Nothing in our world is more complicated than the secret development of nuclear weapons, which in North Korea, was aided by Chinese companies which were also sanctioned by the United States.  The Chinese have been allowing their businesses to go around  sanctions on Iran (ZTE was named, but there was one other unnamed company) and directly helping North Korea.  That keeps this cozy arrangement going.  Somewhere in there, the Russians are probably involved too, since they are such good buddies with Iran.  So, who benefits in having a nuclear armed North Korea and Iran, both of whom have openly threatened the United States and Israel with nuclear attack?  “Not us” says everyone involved.  Don’t believe it.