Why Iran and North Korea are ‘highly likely’ to revive missile and nuclear cooperation

As war with the United States and Israel batters Iran’s missile and nuclear infrastructure, analysts say Tehran is likely to turn to North Korea once again after the fighting stops, reviving a long-suspected partnership built on shared hostility towards Washington and years of military cooperation.North Korea has long been suspected of supplying missile technology to Iran and providing technical help on uranium enrichment, and analysts say it is likely to do so again after the war.“North Korea and Iran will likely resume cooperation in missiles and rebuilding uranium enrichment facilities as Iran acutely feels the need to secure capabilities to mount massive retaliatory attacks,” Cho Han-bum, a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Security (KINU), told This Week in Asia.“When the war is over, it is highly likely that the two countries will strengthen their bilateral ties,” he said, noting that both governments saw the US as their primary strategic rival.North Korea has expressed support for the election of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s supreme leader. Photo: WANA via ReutersIn a show of solidarity with Iran, North Korea on Wednesday expressed support for the election of Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran’s supreme leader by the Assembly of Experts.“We respect the rights and choice of the Iranian people to elect their supreme leader,” the foreign ministry said in remarks carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).