North Korean state media said Wednesday that the communist regime has sent an economic delegation to Iran, an unusual official visit that could signal closer cooperation between the two regimes or simulate closer ties between Pyongyang and Tehran. It is reported that this may be an attempt by North Korea to make Western governments nervous. partnership.
South Korea’s Yonhap News I got it. The last official visit to Iran by a Pyongyang official was in 2019, when the vice-speaker of the rubber-stamp North Korean parliament visited Tehran, the sources said.
North Korean media claimed that this time the entire delegation, led by Foreign Economic Relations Minister Yun Jong-ho, headed to Iran.Yun visited Russia During April. North Korean media portrays him as a key figure in Russia relations.
Yonhap News believed that the composition of the delegation suggested that North Korea was seeking to “deepen military ties with Iran in the midst of the Russia-Ukraine war.” sale weapons To Moscow. The Russian government’s payment plan reportedly includes helping both North Korea and Iran develop more advanced weapons.
Yonhap News reported, “Following Iran’s recent launch of more than 300 drones and missiles toward Israel, there is a possibility that North Korean parts and military technology were used in Iran’s missile salvo against Israel. There is speculation that there is,” he added.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) warned On April 17, it was reported that North Korean technology may have been used in a group of ballistic missiles launched by Iran against Israel.
Israeli army intercepts!Air defense system destroys drone and missile
IDF via Storyful
The warning noted that the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has admitted in the past to receiving missiles from North Korea. However, they argued that their technology had improved since then and that they no longer needed North Korea’s aid. The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) assessed in 2019 that at least two Iranian missile designs are strongly based on North Korean weapons.
In addition to military cooperation, North Korea may see Iran as a way to break out of its international isolation. North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is collected In recent months, he has met with senior officials from China and Russia, including a rare trip across the border to North Korea. meet With Russian strongman Vladimir Putin. Iran would be a natural next step in Kim’s efforts to change North Korea’s insular image.
Hong Min, Senior Analyst, Korea Institute for National Unification Said AFP news agency reported on Tuesday that North Korea may seek “quid pro quo, such as oil or other financial aid” from Iran in exchange for missile technology.
