Note: 'Concerned' Can No Longer Refer to the North Korean Model

The news was brief and surprising. The leader of North Korea has proposed a meeting with the President of the United States, and this proposal has been accepted by Donald Trump. The North Korean leader has expressed readiness to suspend his missile and nuclear programs during potential negotiations. What impact will the success or failure of this event have on Iran's nuclear case? Is North Korea, like the Islamic Republic, caught in a 'negotiation trap' and expected to give major concessions and sign a fruitless nuclear deal? How do the 'concerned' in Iran, who praised North Korea and criticized the JCPOA, view this now? Trump's acceptance of this proposal was announced while both sides had previously threatened each other with war. Trump had blamed his then-Secretary of State for the futility of negotiations with North Korea, stating that Tillerson was 'wasting his time trying to negotiate with the little rocket man.' From Trump's statements, ranging from threatening North Korea at the UN General Assembly to accepting a meeting with its leader, two interpretations may arise: one is that the U.S. foreign policy towards this nuclear country is not at all a coherent policy. The second is that Donald Trump does not know what to do with North Korea. In these cases, it is argued that accepting North Korea's invitation was so hasty that it led Trump's aides to try to manage another one of his surprising behaviors shortly thereafter. Reuters reported that the White House faced criticism for agreeing to negotiations, and for this reason, the leaders of the two countries would not meet unless North Korea took 'real steps' regarding its nuclear program. However, even if these points are correct, such an interpretation certainly cannot be made in Trump's foreign policy regarding the 'JCPOA.' Even before stepping into the White House, he had targeted the JCPOA in his campaign. He stated that if he won the election, one of his first actions would be to withdraw from the JCPOA. Although he has not yet taken action, he continues to insist on this option. The second interpretation is that North Korea's willingness to come to the negotiating table is the result of increased sanctions on the country and its economic isolation. In other words, just as the pressure of sanctions responded to the Islamic Republic, it has now responded to North Korea as well, and as a result, Trump can present it as an achievement of his foreign policy. In the latest resolution proposed by the U.S. to the Security Council to intensify sanctions against North Korea, all members, including Russia and China, also voted in favor. Therefore, Trump can claim that he has managed to create a global consensus against Pyongyang and brought this stubborn country to the negotiating table. In a resolution passed by the Security Council on December 22, the annual oil exports to North Korea were reduced from two million barrels to half a million barrels. Additionally, the export of food, agricultural products, machinery, electrical equipment, and ships to North Korea has been banned. Mike Pence, the U.S. Vice President, stated that as a result of 'maximum pressure' on Pyongyang, Kim Jong-un's isolation has been effective. If we consider this a success of Trump's foreign policy, the Islamic Republic has no choice but to yield to Trump's demands for a revision of the JCPOA and accept limitations on its missile program to avoid intensified economic sanctions. Reports of a secret meeting between Iran and Europe on the sidelines of the Munich conference, which is also set to be repeated in Italy, can be interpreted in this context. In other words, North Korea has submitted to negotiations in one way, and the Islamic Republic in another. It should not be forgotten that in the view of the 'concerned' conservatives, North Korea has always been seen as a model of staunch resistance against the U.S. They have always praised and admired the North Korean model, harshly criticizing the negotiations that led to the JCPOA. They held a large anti-agreement rally at the U.S. embassy under the slogan 'We are concerned' and referred to Zarif and Rouhani as 'traitors,' considering the JCPOA as akin to drinking poison for the leader. For example, Hossein Shariatmadari previously wrote in a note that: 'North Korea did not respond positively to the U.S. request for negotiations and declared its nuclear and missile programs non-negotiable. It can be boldly said that North Korea has taken a lesson from the fruitless and disastrous negotiations of Iran with the U.S. and has thus refused to entrap itself like us in the deception of the U.S.' Now, with North Korea's acceptance of negotiations and suspension of its nuclear program during negotiations, and likely efforts to reach an agreement with the U.S., the 'concerned' see that a stubborn country like North Korea is also willing to negotiate over its missile program to escape sanctions. This indicates a North Korean-style flexibility. The news website 'Etedal,' close to Hassan Rouhani, wrote in a note: 'In simple terms, we can say that the North Korean leader broke the hearts of the Iranian concerned.'