The current negotiations, if one wishes to characterize what is transpiring between the United States and Iran as negotiations, are a fool’s errand.
The terrorist regime stalls for time, tries to rebuild its shattered defenses, and continually breaks a ceasefire agreement while constantly pointing its finger in the other direction.
HWASONG-18 ICBM North Korea. Image Credit: North Korean state media.
Some military and political analysts wonder if Iran is simply stalling for time when it does, in fact, produce a nuclear weapon, as North Korea has, giving it unheard-of leverage and blackmail throughout the Middle East.
A Tale Of Two News Takes, Vastly Different
Take, for instance, the events of Thursday: the United States had canceled further retaliatory airstrikes against Iran because a peace deal seemed at hand.
President Trump posted that the U.S. “just made a great settlement of the war with Iran,” subject to the “finalization of documents.”
Then Iran’s official news agency reported the exact opposite of what the president was discussing with the press.
“The terms that Iran leaked out to the Fake News have NOTHING to do with the terms that were agreed to, in writing,” President Trump wrote on his Truth Social page.
“What they said, including their weak and pathetic statement on having a deal, bears no relation to the truth,” he went on. “Very dishonorable people to deal with. With them, there is no such thing as dealing in good faith.”
Lessons From North Korea
While the two situations are vastly different in many respects, there are some lessons learned from the negotiations with North Korea.
Hwasong-20 ICBM. Image Credit: North Korea State Media.
The US didn’t truly have a credible military threat to stop North Korea’s nuclear weapons ambitions, short of re-igniting the Korean War.
And while they have it and have used it against Iran, they continue to stop using that leverage under the guise of agreements in negotiations.
North Korea continued its ballistic missile development until it had a nuclear weapon. Iran has been following the same path, and in fact has deepened its ties to North Korea in its ballistic missile program.
North Korea was able to develop its nuclear arsenal and, in 2022, enacted a plan that will deter the decapitation strikes that befell Tehran early this year. In that plan, Pyongyang would immediately launch all of its nuclear-tipped missiles in the event of a decapitation strike.
Given its ties with North Korea, it is probably safe to assume that Tehran would follow a similar course.
Iran Will Continue Trying To Develop Nuclear Weapons
Whatever the current negotiations ultimately produce, Tehran will not stop its nuclear weapons ambitions.
Combined with its proxy forces in the Middle East to do its bidding without any responsibility attached, its ballistic missile program, which it has shown no issue with unleashing on its neighboring countries, and a nuclear weapon will give it the power to survive any attempt to force the IRGC and the religious leadership from power.
Tehran overplayed its hand and tried to rush its nuclear program through while attempting to blackmail the Middle East under a cloud of ballistic missiles.
But the regime’s hatred of Israel, by empowering Hamas to commit the October 7 atrocities, set in motion the events that have stopped their nuclear ambitions in their tracks.
But Tehran, as Pyongyang sees a nuclear-armed Iran as a means of its survival.
As the piece in NPR states, “Kim Jong Un gave a speech that essentially said, at a time when the U.S. is riding roughshod over some countries, implying Venezuela and Iran, North Korea clearly made the right choice to keep building its nuclear arsenal,” because it guarantees its survival.
And unlike North Korea, which, since the Armistice of the Korean War, has limited its anti-Americanism to slogans, Iran has followed through on its “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” aims.
The regime is responsible for the deaths and injuries of thousands of Americans. As long as this regime is in place, that won’t change.
Economically, Iran Can Be Much More Successful Than North Korea
While Kim Jong Un’s hold on power in North Korea is secure, the Iranian regime has been under a ton of stress, not only from the United States and Israel, but from within.
Iran’s younger population is better educated and wants to break free from a religious regime that stifles its freedoms. However, with its oil and gas infrastructure, Tehran has the potential to become a very prosperous nation if it can break free from its crushing economic sanctions.
But as long as the regime remains in place, it will remain a pariah nation.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
