US Senior Official: Iran-North Korea Resume Long-Range Missile Cooperation (Comprehensive)

Attention on Whether New Conflict Factors Emerge in North America Relations

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] A senior U.S. official stated that North Korea and Iran have resumed cooperation on a long-range missile project. As the U.S. intensifies pressure on Iran, attention is focused on whether mentioning North Korea will become a new point of conflict in North Korea-U.S. relations.

On the 20th (local time), a major foreign news outlet, citing a senior U.S. official, reported that Iran is expected to have enough nuclear material to manufacture nuclear weapons by the end of the year, and that cooperation on missile projects with North Korea is also underway.

The official did not provide concrete evidence regarding the missile project cooperation between Iran and North Korea. However, the official mentioned that the cooperation between North Korea and Iran includes the transfer of key components. North Korea and Iran, both representative anti-U.S. countries with close ties, have long been suspected of cooperating in ballistic missile and nuclear technology fields. There have been allegations that Iran purchased missiles from North Korea in the 1980s and 1990s, and in the early 2010s, it was suggested that Iran may have observed North Korea’s nuclear tests and long-range missile launches.

The U.S. Congressional Research Service (CRS) stated in its March report last year titled "Iran’s Foreign and Defense Policies" that the militaries of North Korea and Iran are suspected of continuing cooperation on nuclear and missile development, but that the scope of cooperation between the two countries cannot be determined based on publicly available information.

If the official’s claims are accurate, North Korea could be seen as violating United Nations Security Council sanctions resolutions against it. Currently, any form of technical cooperation related to North Korea’s ballistic missile launches is prohibited. The U.S. imposes sanctions on transactions involving equipment or technology listed in multilateral export control lists with countries such as North Korea and Iran. Recently, the U.S. issued a warning that companies or individuals involved in North Korea’s ballistic missile development could face sanctions.

Separately, the U.S. is expected to announce an executive order on the 21st imposing independent sanctions on more than 20 individuals and entities involved in Iran’s nuclear, missile, and conventional weapons programs. While the sanctions target those involved in Iran’s nuclear and long-range missile-related technology and conventional weapons trade, it cannot be ruled out that North Korean individuals or entities may also be included.

Separately, after the U.S. submitted a resolution to the UN Security Council last month to indefinitely extend the arms embargo on Iran but it was rejected, on the 19th, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced through a statement that the U.S. would initiate the "snapback" procedure to restore sanctions according to the provisions specified in the UN Security Council resolution.