August 20, 2018 | The Hill

Iran-North Korea meeting — A message for the US?

August 20, 2018 | The Hill

Iran-North Korea meeting — A message for the US?

An excerpt from the op-ed follows:

“As U.S. sanctions on Iran entered into force on August 7, Tehran was busy playing host to the foreign minister of the ultimate rogue nuclear regime, North Korea. Between August 7 and 8, North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong-ho held high-level talks with Iran’s foreign minister and President. It is unknown if the meetings were planned for this date or rescheduled to coincide with sanctions. However, three provocative statements did result from the meetings, all of which point to greater coordination and cooperation between Tehran and Pyongyang.

The first was the Iranian admonition not to trust the U.S. Prior to the Singapore summit; Iranian officials similarly warned the Kim regime against believing that the U.S. would keep its word. During Ri’s two-day trip to Tehran, it’s highly likely that each state shared their respective approaches, tips, and tricks for dealing with the U.S., and the Trump administration in particular. 

Currently, North Korea is dealing directly with President Trump(and South Korea’s President Moon) in an ongoing charm offensive after nearly a year of fiery rhetoric combined with nuclear and missile tests.” 

David Maxwell, a 30-year veteran of the United States Army and former Special Forces colonel, is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow him @davidmaxwell161. Behnam Ben Taleblu is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow FDD on Twitter @FDD. FDD is a Washington-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.

Issues:

Iran Iran Sanctions North Korea