october 9 , 2006

Iran Blames U.S. for North Korea Nuke Test

North Korea's apparent explosion of a nuclear device beneath a mountain in the country's northeastern region has ensured that the world will never be the same. Why? For starters, it will almost certainly spark an arms race in Asia and the Pacific, with Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and possibly even Australia all moving towards joining the nuclear club in order to deter an attack by Kim Jong Il's maniacal regime. And as President Bush pointed out today, the North Koreans can hand this nuclear technology over to rogue nations like Iran and Syria and terrorist groups like al-Qaeda for use against the United States.

North Korea already has a well-established relationship with Iran, which makes the following statement from the Iranian regime predictable (from AP):

IIranian state radio Monday blamed North Korea's reported nuclear test on U.S. pressure, accusing Washington of "humiliating" the impoverished communist country.

"Not only did the United States not lift the sanctions it had imposed on North Korea, it even increased the diplomatic pressure. Such pressure finally led North Korea to conduct its nuclear test," Iranian state radio said in a commentary.

"North Korea's nuclear test was a reaction to America's threats and humiliation," it said.

The North Korean crisis presents the U.N. with yet another opportunity to prove it's relevance and hold the Butcher of Pyongyang accountable for his continued defiance. I won't hold my breath.