Iran deal leaves N. Korea alone in rogue states club | NK News
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September 16, 2026Sep 16, 2026

Weapon Directory

Analysis

Iran deal leaves N. Korea alone in rogue states club

Pyongyang remains obstinate even as deals with Tehran, Havana show way forward

North Korea’s rejection of an Iran-style nuclear deal, as conveyed by a Foreign Ministry spokesman on July 21, came as no surprise. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is different from Iran, he said, and its nuclear weapons program “is not up for bargain.”

The differences are indeed vast. Whereas Iran’s official policy is to reject nuclear weapons as haram (forbidden), North Korea’s nuclear-armed status is enshrined in its constitution and in its state ideology of the Byungjinline (simultaneous economic and nuclear weapons development). It is far easier to persuade a nation to accept limits on capabilities that