Axis

First Pakistan, then Libya, and now Iran. Who do we think we’re kidding about red lines?

VIENNA (Reuters) – Recent intelligence reports accuse North Korea of secretly helping Iran develop its nuclear program, raising fresh concerns about Pyongyang’s nuclear proliferation and Tehran’s atomic intentions.

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“In the late 1990s, cooperation began between the two countries, which focused on nuclear (research and development),” said an intelligence report obtained from a non-U.S. diplomat. “There has been a significant improvement in relations between Iran and North Korea over the past few months,” the report said.

A recent example is what the three-page report described as a “special secret course to provide technological and practical information to outstanding students.” Among the lecturers are senior North Korean scientists and atomic technicians, it said.

“This nuclear cooperation between the two countries has apparently increased significantly during the past year as seen in the arrival of an academic delegation from North Korea in Iran and the existence of this special course,” it said.

The secret masters level course at Tehran’s Polytechnic University covered “dual use” nuclear technology that could be applied to civilian or military applications, the report said. “It seems Iran is taking another step to promote its military nuclear project by exploiting North Korea’s extensive technological information in the nuclear sphere,” it said.