Soleimani killingIran's Attacks on U.S. Assets Could Encourage N. Korea's Nuclear Ambitions: Experts

Iran’s attacks on Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops as Tehran announced it will no longer comply with restrictions on uranium enrichment may encourage North Korea to perfect its nuclear and missile technologies, experts said.

“With Iran also challenging the United States, North Korea may feel that terroristlike activities will be less likely to cause U.S. retaliation because the U.S. will be busy with Iran,” said Bruce Bennett, a senior defense analyst at the Rand Corporation research center.

Multiple rockets hit Baghdad’s Green Zone near the U.S. Embassy Wednesday. There were no known casualties, and it is unclear whether Iran or its proxies launched them. 

The rocket fire came a day after Iran attacked two Iraqi bases used by U.S. forces. Iran launched multiple missiles Tuesday in response to the U.S. killing of Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani Friday. There are no known American casualties from the attacks.

President Donald Trump authorized killing Soleimani to protect American interests from future Iranian attacks, according to the Pentagon. 

Although there were fears that Trump would launch a tit-for-tat retaliation against Iran when he spoke Wednesday morning, he did not announce additional military actions.

“Iran appears to be standing down” he said, pledging to issue new sanctions against Tehran. 

“Kim Would Be Emboldened”
Joseph Bosco, an East Asia expert at the Institute for Corea-American Studies (ICAS), said if Tehran kills Americans, and the U.S. does not take action against Iran, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un might assume a more aggressive stance against the U.S.

“If the U.S. did not respond, Kim would be emboldened,” Bosco said, adding the Iranian attack Tuesday would not have too much impact on the U.S.-North Korean dynamics.

Last week, Kim said North Korea intends to bolster its military forces, take “offensive measures,” develop “a new strategic weapon” and “shift to a shocking actual action” without specifying the measures. 

Kim’s statement came after Pyongyang vowed multiple times last year to take a “new path” if the U.S. does not change its attitude, presumably referring to maintaining sanctions on North Korea.

North Korea conducted 13 missile tests last year in an effort to pressure the U.S. to grant concessions, including sanctions relief. Pyongyang was seeking sanctions relief when Kim met with Trump in Hanoi for a February summit that failed.

In October 2019, the U.S. and North Korea held talks in Stockholm, but the talks collapsed without an agreement. Since then, nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang have remained deadlocked.