Possible North Korean Nuclear Test Linked to Iranian Deadline?
By Daveed Gartenstein-Ross
When news broke Friday that North Korea may be preparing for an underground detonation of a nuclear device, the question that immediately arose in my mind was whether this was linked to Iran's self-imposed Aug. 22 deadline for providing a final answer about its nuclear development. Certainly the two countries have cooperated in the past. For example, I have previously blogged about Iran's purchase of missiles from North Korea.
It is entirely conceivable that these two items are unrelated. It's possible that North Korea isn't planning for an underground test at all: South Korean unification minister Lee Jong Seok has said that he hasn't "heard of a confirmation of concrete evidence that North Korea is preparing a nuclear test." But when this news broke about North Korea, I certainly hope that the thought of a possible connection to Iran's Aug. 22 deadline crossed the minds of our intelligence analysts, among others.
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://counterterrorismblog.org/mt/pings.cgi/3081
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Possible North Korean Nuclear Test Linked to Iranian Deadline?:
» Apocalypse: Three More Days? from Kobayashi Maru
What if Iran has taken a cue from the West by 'outsourcing' even more of its nuclear plans than we suspect? What if North Korea were to lob the first of its nuclear-equipped long-range missiles West instead of East? In 2003, parts of a North Korean l... [Read More]
» Evil Twins Have August 22 Surprise? from PAXALLES
Daveed Gartenstein-Ross of the Counterterrorism Blog raises the possibility that North Korea may be looking to test a nuclear bomb on August 22 - the day that the Iranians are supposed to give their answer in regard to the goodie [Read More]
