Though it occurred half a world away, the Trump admin’s strike on Iran may now influence the trajectory of Kim Jong Un’s North Korea.
According to security experts, the assaults may have exacerbated his resolve to maintain and expand his nuclear arsenal as a deterrent to any attack on North Korea.
Kim can cite other nations, including Libya, Syria, and Iraq, that were subjected to military attacks in order to prevent them from completely developing atomic weapons due to their nuclear ambitions.
Currently, the United States’ attack on Iran has the potential to complicate any future denuclearization negotiations with Washington, which the Kim regime has consistently rejected for years.
Kim’s suspicion of the United States has likely been exacerbated by the U.S. strikes, according to experts.
Go Myong-hyun of the Institute for National Security Strategy, a state-affiliated think center in Seoul, stated that Kim Jong Un is “grateful” for his nuclear weapons in the aftermath of the attacks on Iran.
North Korea has intensified its nuclear program in recent years. In September 2022, Kim, who has referred to nuclear weapons as the nation’s “powerful treasured sword,” advocated for the inclusion of a clause in the country’s nuclear doctrine that would permit preemptive strikes for the first time.
Restoration work on the nation’s primary nuclear-test site commenced that year, following his decision to demolish it as a solidarity gesture during his first term.
A new study from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, a think tank, has estimated that North Korea currently possesses up to 50 nuclear warheads and sufficient fissile material to produce an additional 40.
Sipri stated that the stockpile’s magnitude was estimated to be 30 to 40 warheads five years ago.
Last weekend, the United States conducted strikes on three critical Iranian nuclear facilities: Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz.
Israel has targeted a broader array of Iranian nuclear sites and has also targeted the nation’s nuclear scientists.
Alireza Jafarzadeh, an Iranian dissident who disclosed the existence of the Natanz uranium-enrichment site in 2002, claims that the Kim regime assisted Tehran in the design and construction of Iran’s subterranean tunnels and nuclear facilities.
Analysts contend that this is the reason why the events may be particularly poignant for the Kim regime.
Although a leaked U.S. preliminary intelligence assessment found that the American strike had set Iran’s efforts back by several months, Trump has claimed that Iran’s nuclear program was “totally obliterated” by the strikes.
Others, such as the head of the United Nations’ atomic agency, contend that Iran sustained substantial losses. It remains to be seen whether Iran now intends to submit to the demands from the Trump administration or follow the path already blazed by North Korea: toward a fully functioning nuclear weapons.
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