Structural tensions and Cold War-era alliances drive renewed Iran-North Korea military collaboration
Original framing: “Why Iran and North Korea are ‘highly likely’ to revive missile and nuclear cooperation” — South China Morning Post
The Iran-North Korea partnership has roots in the 1980s, during the Iran-Iraq War, when North Korea supplied Iran with Scud missiles. This pattern of military cooperation under sanctions echoes Cold War-era alliances between the Soviet Union and Third World states, illustrating how geopolitical exclusion fosters alternative security networks.
The renewed Iran-North Korea military partnership is not an isolated event but a systemic response to decades of geopolitical exclusion and sanctions.
Rooted in Cold War-era alliances and driven by shared resistance to Western dominance, this collaboration reflects deeper patterns of how marginalized states build alternative security networks. Indigenous and non-Western perspectives highlight this as a form of sovereignty and survival, while historical parallels show similar alliances emerging in times of global upheaval. To address the root causes, a shift toward inclusive multilateralism, regional diplomacy, and reform of punitive policies is essential. Only by recognizing the structural forces at play can we move toward sustainable peace and security for all actors involved.