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China-Japan-Koreas
Iran 'Paid Millions for Ringside Seat at N.Korean Nuke Test'
2013-02-19
Iranian scientists witnessed North Korea's latest nuclear test last Tuesday, a western diplomatic source has told Japan's Kyodo News.

Kyodo on Friday reported that Tehran asked in November for Iranian scientists to be allowed to witness the nuclear test and offered to pay tens of millions of U.S. dollars. According to the source, the suggestion came from Iran's vice president and chief of the country's nuclear agency in a national security meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and senior ministers on Nov. 22 last year. Ahmadinejad authorized that the payment be made through Bank of Kunlun in Beijing.

Kyodo said it is unclear whether the Iranian scientists actually witnessed the test.
Guess...
The unnamed source was quoted as saying the proposal casts further doubt on Iran's claims that its nuclear program is peaceful. He added it would be "very worrying" if Iran got nuclear test knowhow from North Korea.

Kyodo said Iranian defense ministry officials have been in North Korea since October last year as part of bilateral cooperation in missile and nuclear arms development. They are apparently housed in a military facility 85 km from the border with China.

North Korea has sold missiles to Iran in the past as the two international pariahs boost military ties.
Posted by:Steve White

#7  ION DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND > NORTH KOREA THREATENS TO CONDUCT FOLLOW-UP NUCLEAR TEST + [finally]"DESTROY" SOUTH KOREA.

And NOKOR did so while at the UN talks.

* RELATED DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > SOUTH KOREA FACES "FINAL DESTRUCTION" | NORTH KOREA WARNS SOUTH KOREA OF "FINAL DESTRUCTION".

versus

* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > [Information Clearing House = LONG] WHY NORTH KOREA NEEDS NUCLEAR WEAPONS?

* TOPIX > [Times of Oman] NORTH KOREA COLLAPSE MAY NOT BE DRASTIC FOR CHINA.

ARTIC = DPRK 3rd Nuclear Test a "GAME-CHANGER" for both the US + China.

* RUSSIA TODAY > NORTH KOREA SEEKING MEMBERSHIP IN NUCLEAR CLUB: EXPERT. Alexander Zhebin of the Korean Studies Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

ARTIC = NORTH KOREA may be seeking INDIA-STYLE sttaus widin the Nuclear Club, where NOKOR = India is allowed to dev its own NucWeaps + externally purchase NucTechs + NucMats, etc. from around the World WHILE ALSO NOT BEING FORMALLY VIEWED BY THE NUCLEAR CLUB AS A NUCLEAR WEAPONS STATE.

IRAN???

CAN DEV NUCWEAPS WHILE NOT OFFICIALLY BEING SEENS AS A NUCLEAR WEAPONS STATE BY THE CLUB - OOOOOOOOOO, you just know Iran's Mullahs will be po'ed iff the DPRK can pull it off but Iran can't.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2013-02-20 00:03  

#6  Next time the ringside seats should be a LOT closer - want them to be sure to have a good view of the reaction.
Posted by: Glenmore   2013-02-19 11:08  

#5   the Norks are pretty good robber-baron capitalists...

If they ever open up a used car lot...
Posted by: SteveS   2013-02-19 10:13  

#4  I love it personally. No doubt AlanC is right: it was their bomb, and the Norks STILL extracted cash from them.

For being all full of army-first juche, the Norks are pretty good robber-baron capitalists...
Posted by: Steve White   2013-02-19 09:51  

#3  Why shouldn't they have a ringside seat, it was probably their bomb?
Posted by: Alanc   2013-02-19 08:21  

#2  Milyuhns + Dilyuhns + ... ...

We'll see in March 2013 or ASAP after, iff no progress still in P5+1 talks + Iran still refusing to put its NucProg under UNIAEA supervision.

FYI TOPIX > AT PENTAGON, "PIVOT TO ASIA" BECOMES "SHIFT TO AFRICA".

Read, NOT IRAN???

versus

* TOPIX, WORLD NEWS, DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > IRAN AYATOLLAH [NOT Khamenei]: I WILL [peacefully]RETURN LANDS OF AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIA, + TAIJIKISTAN, back to Iran.

* RIAN > RUSSIAN MILITARY CHIEF [CoGS Gen. Valery Gerasimov] PREDICTS RESOURCE WARS SOON [circa Year 2030], as over ...

> Fuel + Energy Resources.
> Markets.
> "Living Space".

Besides also Food + Water.

Lest we fergit, 1990's NET > CHINA'S DEMAND FOR 1/2 OF CONUS-NORAM FOR "LIVING SPACE" DUE TO EXCESSIVE POPULATION; + SINO-RUSSIAN "WAR AGZ THE USA IS NOT ONLY POSSIBLE BUT DESIRED" STARTING IN 2018 [IIRC Russia = 2017-2022, China = more flexible, EARLIER].
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2013-02-19 01:48  

#1  Yup, GUILTY, blast them. (Our of a cannon, preferably)
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2013-02-19 01:48  

00:00