UK Suspicions of Iran and Russia Assisting North Korea's Nuclear Advancements

The British newspaper Telegraph claimed in its Sunday issue that British officials are concerned that Iran or Russia may have assisted North Korea in its "sudden advancements" in nuclear weapons development. The report, published on September 10 in the Sunday Telegraph, states that the UK Foreign Office is investigating "countries that were formerly or are currently nuclear" that could have helped Pyongyang develop nuclear weapons capable of being mounted on its missiles. It notes that "Iran is at the top of the list of countries suspected of providing assistance to North Korea, and Russia is also under scrutiny." Several unnamed senior British officials told the Telegraph that the assumption that North Korean scientists have achieved recent nuclear advancements independently is "not credible." The Telegraph quoted an unnamed deputy minister in the UK government stating that "North Korean scientists have some capabilities, but it is clear that they could not have made these advancements in a vacuum." North Korea, which has faced severe international reactions to several missile tests in the past couple of months, claimed less than three weeks ago that it had tested an advanced hydrogen bomb capable of being mounted on intercontinental missiles. This recent test, North Korea's sixth and most powerful nuclear test, was condemned by a wide range of countries, including the US, Russia, China, and many global powers. The US, UK, and France, three permanent members of the Security Council, along with South Korea and Japan, requested an emergency meeting regarding this action, and after the meeting held last Monday, the US was set to present a resolution for a vote this coming Monday, September 20. The other two permanent members of the Security Council, China and Russia, although they cooperated with other Security Council members in previous sanctions in mid-August, have the most trade exchanges with North Korea. The previous Security Council resolution targeted North Korea's revenue from exports, which, if implemented, would cause Pyongyang to lose two-thirds of its annual income of $3 billion. Iran and North Korea's cooperation, including in the nuclear field, has always been under scrutiny in recent years, and during the nuclear negotiations, some Western security officials expressed concern about the potential transfer of missiles from North Korea to Iran. Both countries are subject to various international sanctions that limit arms exports and imports, especially in missile technology. Iran has remained silent regarding North Korea's recent missile and nuclear tests, but in April 2013, a senior Iranian military official stated that "enhancing deterrent capability" is the right of this country. At that time, when Iran was still suffering from harsh economic sanctions due to its nuclear program, Massoud Jazayeri, deputy chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, stated that "the people and government of North Korea, who are always targets of threats, bullying, and the greed of the US and the hegemonic system, consider their efforts to enhance deterrent capability and demonstrate their defensive power against the enemy as their natural right." This statement was made before Hassan Rouhani came to power, who during his first presidential term reached an agreement through intensive negotiations with six global powers that lifted nuclear sanctions in exchange for moderating Iran's nuclear program. Despite the lifting of these sanctions, Iran's missile program remains a source of criticism and concern, and the US has targeted Iran's missile program with sanctions several times since the implementation of the nuclear agreement, which has only occurred twice in conjunction with the confirmation of Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement during Donald Trump's administration.