New - What the Experts Say about the North Korea-Iran-Syria Axis · 2020-02-24 · Nikkei Asia...

WhileCUFIdoesnotgenerallyengageonissuesoutsidetheMiddleEast,thereare8meswhenissuesrelevanttoIsraeltakeplacewelloutsidethatregion.Thealliancebetweentwooftheworld’smostleadingsponsorsofterrorandweaponsproliferators,NorthKoreaandIran,ishighlyrelevanttoanyoneconcernedwithAmericanandIsraelisecurity.

For over 20 years, press reports and declassified governmentmaterials have provided awindow into the rela8onship betweenNorthKoreaand Iran,andbydirectconnec8on, Iran’sclientstateSyria. Fromconven8onalarmsandballis8cmissiles tonuclearandchemicalweapons programs, the coopera8on between these three state sponsors of terror should be ofgraveconcerntoresponsibleworldpowers.

Thecoreoftheallianceistheconnec8onbetweenthetwomoremilitarilypowerfulna8ons:IranandNorthKorea. And this rela8onship goes back to the very founding of the Islamic Republic, as Kim Il-Sung, thefounding leader of North Korea, “was among the first to congratulate Ruhollah Khomeini aOer he seizedpowerfromtheShahofIran.” 1

ShortlythereaOer,duringtheIran-Iraqwarinthe1980’s,NorthKoreanmilitaryaidwasprovidedtoIran,andNorthKoreanmilitaryadvisorswereonhandtosupportTehran.Thoughtheydonotsharethesameorevena similar core ideology – save a visceral hatred for theWest – the alliance between these two na8onsendurestothisdayandhasincreasinglydangerousconsequences.

Asfarbackas1996,theUSsanc8onedNorthKoreaandIran“formissiletechnology-relatedtransfers.” Five2

yearslater,theUSsanc8onedNorthKoreaforviola8ngtheIranNonprolifera8onAct.In2009itwasrevealedthatIranfinancedtheNorthKoreanbuiltSyrianAlKabirnuclearreactor, whichIsraeldestroyedin2007just3

priortothereactor’scomple8on. In2010a leakeddiploma8ccableexposedIran’spurchaseof19ballis8cmissilesfromNorthKorea. Andin2012,IsraelrevealedthatNorthKoreaandIranwereworkingtogetherto4

miniaturizeanucleardevicetobefi]edtoanIranianmedium-rangeballis8cmissile. 5

In 2013, “Iran’s top nuclear scien8st, MohsenFakhrizadeh-Mahabadi, was reportedly present atNorthKorea’sthirdnucleartest…whileworkingona project to develop a warhead that could fit onNorth Korea’s missiles.” And when President6

Trump re-imposed sanc8ons on Iran in August of2018, theNorthKoreanForeignMinistermetwithIran’sPresidentandForeignMinistertheverynextday. 7

This isbutasnapshotof therela8onshipbetweenthena8ons,butitexemplifiesthepointtheIranian-NorthKoreanalliancehasdrama8canddangerous

geo-poli8calimplica8ons,includingasitrelatestoIsrael’snorthernneighbor,Syria.

WhattheExpertsSayabouttheNorthKorea-Iran-SyriaAxis

C H R I S T I A N S U N I T E D F O R I S R A E L

ACUFIPRIMER:

OnecouldarguethatwithouttheNorthKorea-Iranian-Syrianrela8onship,perhaps best summed up as the merger of Iranian financing, NorthKorean coopera8on and Syria’s strategic loca8on relevant to Israel –coupledwithsharedknow-howbetweenthetwostrongerna8ons–thesecountries would not be nearly as threatening to the West as theycurrentlyare.

Moreover,with Iran’s tentacles reaching allacrosstheMiddleEast,evenwellbeyonditsclientstateSyria,andaroundtheworld through its proxy terror group Hezbollah, this modern axis of terrorpresentsasignificantchallengetothosewhoseektominimizetheinfluenceofbadactorsandstoptheprolifera8onoftheworld’smostdeadlyweapons.Whatisclearisthatnoconversa8onaboutNorthKoreanorIraniannuclearormissile capabili8es can achieve sustainable results if the other country’seffortsarenotaddressed.

� Aspartofourongoingmissiontoeducateourmembers,policymakersandjournalistsaboutrelevantissues,CUFIhascompiledthefollowingkeyfactsandanalysisinordertoaidinprovidingcontexttodiscussionsandcoverageaboutthesena8ons.

Forwelloveradecade,pressreportsanddeclassifiedgovernmentmaterialshavedetailedtherela8onshipbetweenNorthKorea,IranandSyria.Fromconven8onalarmsandballis8cmissilestonuclearandchemicalweapons programs, the coopera8on between these three state sponsors of terror should be of graveconcerntoresponsibleworldpowers.Aspartofourongoingmissiontoeducateourmembers,policymakersandjournalistsaboutrelevantissues,CUFIhascompiledthefollowingkeyfactsandanalysisinordertoaidinprovidingcontexttodiscussionsandcoverageaboutthesena8ons.

“Accordingtotwointelligenceofficials,speakingtomeonbackground,thereisagrowingconcernthatwhiletheimmediatethreatofarmedconflictwithNorthKoreahasdiminished,Pyongyangcouldu?lizethelullintensionstoitsadvantage,sellingtheknow-howbehinditsmostadvancedweaponssystemstoTehran.” 8TheHill(June19,2018)

For decades, North Korea has proliferated weapons, including conven?onal arms, ballis?c missiles, andchemicalagents,tostatessuchasIranandSyria(andbyextensiontotheirnonstateproxies),helpingthemtoevade interna?onal sanc?ons and providing themwith the necessary technical andmilitary assistance todeveloptheirownweaponsprograms.” 9ForeignAffairs(June6,2018)

NorthKoreaisbelievedtohaveexportedNodongmissilestoSyriaandprovidedequipmentandassistancetoSyria’sliquidpropellantmissileprogram.” 10

PBSFrontline

“Now it appears that Pyongyang is helping Syria reconstruct its program aRer Damascus surrendered itsstockpilesunderinterna?onalpressureduringtheObamaadministra?on(althoughnotallwerehandedoverto theinterna?onalcommunity).” 11

TheNaQonalInterest(March16,2018)

NorthKoreasentSyriamorethan40itemsusedinballis?cmissileandchemicalweaponsprogrammesinthefiveyearsfrom2012-17,aleakedUNreporthassaid.” 12

TheGuardian(February28,2019)

“NorthKorea’shistoryofexpor?ngballis?cmissiletechnologytoseveralcountries,includingIranandSyria,and its assistance during Syria’s construc?on of a nuclear reactor— destroyed in 2007—illustrate itswillingnesstoproliferatedangeroustechnologies.” 13

ThreatassessmentoftheUSIntelligenceCommunity(February13,2018)

“IranandNorthKoreahadcooperatedinthedevelopmentofmissilesandothermilitarytechnologiesoveralongperiod star?ng in the1980s. Iran's Shahab-3medium-rangeballis?cmissilewasdevelopedbasedonNorthKorea'sNodong,ithasbeensaid.” 14

NikkeiAsiaReview(September26,2017)

“Iranhassta?oneddefensestaffinNorthKoreasincelateOctoberapparentlytostrengthencoopera?oninmissile and nuclear development, Japan’s Kyodo News agency reported on Sunday, ci?ng a Westerndiploma?csource.” 15

-Reuters(December1,2012)

“...InSeptember2006,ParisIntelligenceOnline,aFrenchInternetpublica?onthatspecializesinpoli?calandeconomicintelligence,hadpublisheddetailsofanextensiveNorthKoreanprogramtogivearmsandtrainingtoHezbollah.” 16

Reuters(December13,2007)

“The CRS document also cited a report by a prominent South Korean academic,Moon Chung-in,that theMossadIsraeliintelligenceagencybelievedthat“vitalmissilecomponents”usedbyHezbollahagainstIsraelcamefromNorthKorea.” 17

-Reuters(December13,2007)

�

Any North Korea nuclear deal must involve Iran’s nuclear program 1

https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/385638-any-north-korea-nuclear-deal-must-involve-irans-nuclear-program (The Hill, May 2, 2018) Chronology of U.S.-North Korean Nuclear and Missile Diplomacy 2

https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/dprkchron (Arms Control Association, March 6, 2019) Report: Iran financed Syrian nuke plans 3

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/29777355/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/t/report-iran-financed-syrian-nuke-plans/#.XH7QDMBKh6s (Associated Press, March 19, 2009) The North Korean Axis of Middle East Proliferation 4

https://www.nationalreview.com/2017/08/un-report-north-korea-syria-iran-relationship-extensive-long-standing/ (National Review, August 31, 2017) The North Korean Axis of Middle East Proliferation 5

https://www.nationalreview.com/2017/08/un-report-north-korea-syria-iran-relationship-extensive-long-standing/ (National Review, August 31, 2017) This is Trump’s Opportunity to Uncover the Iran-North Korea Connection 6

https://nationalinterest.org/feature/trumps-opportunity-reveal-irans-role-arming-north-korea-26171 (The National Interest, June 7, 2018) North Korea’s foreign minister visits Iran after U.S. sanctions are reimposed 7

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/north-korea-s-foreign-minister-visits-iran-after-u-s-n898611 (NBC News, August 8, 2018) US intelligence officials: North Korea will sell nuclear tech to Iran https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/392868-us-intelligence-8

officials-next-fear-north-korea-will-sell-nuclear (The Hill, June 19, 2018) North Korea's Illegal Weapons Trade https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/north-korea/2018-06-06/north-koreas-illegal-weapons-trade 9

(Foreign Affairs, June 6, 2018) North Korea’s Missile Trade https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/kim/nukes/noflashmap.html (PBS Frontline) 10

North Korea and Syria: A Chemical Weapons and Missiles Dynamic Duo? https://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/north-korea-syria-11

chemical-weapons-missiles-dynamic-duo-24959 (The National Interest, March 16, 2018) North Korea sent Syria missile and chemical weapon items, says UN report https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/28/north-12

korea-sent-syria-missile-and-chemical-weapon-items-says-un-report (The Guardian February 28, 2018) Worldwide threat assessment of the US Intelligence Community P.6 https://www.dni.gov/files/documents/Newsroom/Testimonies/2018-13

ATA---Unclassified-SSCI.pdf (Daniel R. Coats, February 13, 2018) Could Iran be behind North Korea's nuclear, missile advances? https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/North-Korea-crisis/Could-Iran-be-14

behind-North-Korea-s-nuclear-missile-advances (Nikkei Asia Review, September 26, 2017) Iran stations defense staff at North Korea military site: Kyodo https://www.reuters.com/article/us-korea-north-iran/iran-stations-defense-15

staff-at-north-korea-military-site-kyodo-idUSBRE8B101720121202 (Reuters, December 1, 2012) North Korea may have aided Hezbollah: U.S. report https://www.reuters.com/article/us-korea-north-terrorism/north-korea-may-have-16

aided-hezbollah-u-s-report-idUSN126891920071213 (Reuters, December 13, 2007) North Korea may have aided Hezbollah: U.S. report https://www.reuters.com/article/us-korea-north-terrorism/north-korea-may-have-17

aided-hezbollah-u-s-report-idUSN126891920071213 (Reuters, December 13, 2007)