Analyst: N. Korea saw Iran ‘gaming the system’, energized by Obama inaction after missile tests

Special to WorldTribune.com

North Korea conducted another nuclear test after recognizing how Iran was “gaming the system” in the nuclear deal pushed by U.S. President Barack Obama, an analyst said.

South Koreans watch a TV news program showing North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un on Jan. 1.
South Koreans watch a TV news program showing North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un on Jan. 1.

The Kim Jong-Un regime is continuing a tradition of information- and technology-sharing between North Korea and Iran and using it to “outwit” the U.S. and the international community, according to Georgetown University professor Matthew Kroenig.

Kroenig, an author and expert on matters of nuclear security, told the Daily Caller News Foundation that Iran’s ability to gain concessions from the Obama administration in nuclear negotiations may have impacted Pyongyang’s decision to go forward with a fourth nuclear test.

“North Korea has played the U.S. time and time again,” said Kroenig.

North Korea may also have been emboldened by Obama’s inaction after Iran violated a UN resolution by conducting two ballistic missile tests. Obama had announced a new round of sanctions but has since delayed implementing them.

Kroenig called Obama’s policy on North Korea “a failure” that “has allowed the threat to grow. North Korea now has around 30 nuclear warheads.”

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