In the last 30 years, North Korea and Iran have deepened their military ties and have cooperated in the creation of new missiles, conventional weapons and submarines. In recent years, multiple North Korean-origin weapon shipments have been seized en route to Iran.
It is believed that Pyongyang -- further impoverished by international sanctions and in need of money -- might try to support Iran's nuclear program as the Gulf state has apparently encountered technical hurdles in its enrichment of uranium (see related GSN story, today).
"We don't know exactly how coordinated it is, but it would be naive to assume that they're not cooperating on centrifuges," said U.S. House Intelligence Committee ranking member Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.).
North Korean officials revealed this month to visiting experts a new high-tech uranium enrichment plant at the Yongbyon nuclear complex. Former Los Alamos National Laboratory chief Siegfried Hecker reported seeing "hundreds and hundreds" of centrifuges; he projected the facility had the potential to annually produce enough bomb-grade material to fuel one warhead.
Pyongyang is currently estimated to possess enough processed plutonium for about six bombs. More at:
http://www.globalsecuritynewswire.org/gsn/nw_20101124_4062.php
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