Relationship dossier
Iran
North Korea
Relationship assessment
Political ties and selective military and technology cooperation, with the extent of the partnership unclear
Iran toward North Korea
+35Iran has maintained political ties with North Korea and pursued bilateral science and technology cooperation, including through a cooperation agreement. The scope and practical results of these initiatives are unclear.
North Korea toward Iran
+40North Korea supplied arms to Iran during the Iran–Iraq War and has been associated with assistance to Iran’s missile development. The scale and continuity of this cooperation are uncertain.
Overall relationship
+35The relationship combines sustained political ties with concrete cooperation in science and technology and a history of North Korean arms supply to Iran. Missile-related cooperation has also been associated with the relationship, though its extent is uncertain. These features support a substantially cooperative but bounded partnership rather than an exceptionally close alliance.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Iran and North Korea have maintained political ties and pursued cooperation in science and technology, while North Korea supplied arms to Iran during the Iran–Iraq War and has been associated with Iran’s missile development. Their relationship has involved practical cooperation and shared opposition to US pressure, but its breadth and durability are difficult to characterize beyond these areas.
Key developments
North Korea supplied arms to Iran during the Iran–Iraq War.
Iran and North Korea signed a bilateral science and technology cooperation agreement.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral science and technology cooperation are unclear.
- The extent of Iran–North Korea cooperation on missile development is uncertain.
- The current breadth of bilateral economic and political cooperation is unclear.