South Korea should take the Iranian nuclear standoff more seriously as a matter connected to its own national security because the Middle Eastern state could help North Korea enrich uranium for atomic weapons, a senior government official said Friday. The remark came as Seoul is weighing whether to seek independent sanctions on Iran as the U.S. gathers sustain for its push to censure Tehran for refusing to halt its uranium enrichment program that Washington suspects could be used for a possible nuclear weapons program. "The countries that still trade weapons and have arrow cooperation with North Korea are just Iran, Myanmar and Syria," the official said on condition of anonymity.
"Of them, Iran is the only one that has the uranium enrichment technology North Korea needs." Pyongyang provided Iran with missile technology, as Iran's Shahab missile is a virtual duplicate of North Korea's Rodong, the official said. And the socialist nation could ask for uranium enrichment cooperation from Iran in return, he said. "We can't say absolutely there is uranium enrichment cooperation between Iran and North Korea because there is no accurate information," he said. "But we should be suspicious. There is a probability that could occur at any time." North Korea claimed last year that it succeeded in experimental uranium enrichment, a second way of building nuclear bombs in addition to its plutonium based program.
A uranium based nuclear program is also easier to hide than a plutonium program that wants large facilities to run. The official said the claim could be a bluff aimed at raising its negotiating leverage. Under its plutonium program, North Korea conducted nuclear tests twice, and the country is also supposed to be holding enough plutonium to create at least half a dozen atomic weapons. After June's U.N. sanctions motion against Iran, the U.S. also passed its own legislation on tough sanctions and has since been influence other nations to join in pressuring Iran. The European Union, Australia and Canada had previously complied with Washington's appeal by adopting their own independent sanctions. Earlier this week, Japan followed suit.
"Of them, Iran is the only one that has the uranium enrichment technology North Korea needs." Pyongyang provided Iran with missile technology, as Iran's Shahab missile is a virtual duplicate of North Korea's Rodong, the official said. And the socialist nation could ask for uranium enrichment cooperation from Iran in return, he said. "We can't say absolutely there is uranium enrichment cooperation between Iran and North Korea because there is no accurate information," he said. "But we should be suspicious. There is a probability that could occur at any time." North Korea claimed last year that it succeeded in experimental uranium enrichment, a second way of building nuclear bombs in addition to its plutonium based program.
A uranium based nuclear program is also easier to hide than a plutonium program that wants large facilities to run. The official said the claim could be a bluff aimed at raising its negotiating leverage. Under its plutonium program, North Korea conducted nuclear tests twice, and the country is also supposed to be holding enough plutonium to create at least half a dozen atomic weapons. After June's U.N. sanctions motion against Iran, the U.S. also passed its own legislation on tough sanctions and has since been influence other nations to join in pressuring Iran. The European Union, Australia and Canada had previously complied with Washington's appeal by adopting their own independent sanctions. Earlier this week, Japan followed suit.
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