WASHINGTON: Iran has been using several missiles, which are either directly purchased from North Korea or include weapons developed by North Korea, in attacks targeting the United States and Israel, according to reports, pointing to a long-running military relationship between the two countries.
Experts say the cooperation between Iran and North Korea on missile technology goes back decades, with both countries working closely on the development and production of missile technology.
Bruce Bechtol, a professor of political science in the Department of Security Studies at Angelo State University in Texas, told Fox News Digital that the arrangement is simple: North Korea supplies the weapons, and Iran pays in cash and oil.
Bechtol said some of the short-range ballistic missiles used by Iran in attacks on US targets in Gulf countries are based on the QIAM system, which was developed with North Korean support.
He added that Iran’s Shahab-3 missile closely resembles North Korea’s No Dong missile. According to him, North Korea supplied around 150 No Dong systems to Iran in the late 1990s.
Iran later worked with Pyongyang to build a facility to produce these missiles domestically, following earlier cooperation on the Scud C factory.
The report also said North Korea helped Iran develop the Emad and Ghadr missile systems, which have been used in strikes targeting Israel and countries in the Gulf region.
Bechtol said the missile reportedly launched at the US-UK military base in Diego Garcia was a Musudan missile, a system originally developed by North Korea. He said Iran purchased 19 of these missiles in 2005.
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Iran fired two ballistic missiles at the base. One missile failed during flight, while a US warship attempted to intercept the other. Officials said neither missile hit the base.
Diego Garcia is located about 4,000 kilometres from Iran, which is beyond the previously stated 2,000-kilometre range of Iran’s ballistic missiles.
The reports highlight growing concerns over the spread of missile technology and its use in regional conflicts involving the US and its allies.
Agencies