Putin's New Ally Has Nukes - And Nothing To Lose

Latest stories

Japan and South Korea know the way to compete with China and US

Albanese in China signals shift from friction to realism

Western hypocrisy gives Taliban a free hand to abuse women

Most importantly, Iran's decision to remain a nuclear threshold state - a move calculated to preserve leverage without inviting full-scale war - leaves it vulnerable to foreign intervention. Iran must weigh each escalatory step, constantly calibrating risk. North Korea does not.

Despite its isolation and economic hardship, Pyongyang operates with impunity. Its nuclear arsenal, though crude, grants absolute protection from regime-change scenarios. This allows Kim Jong Un to act boldly - supplying weapons, personnel and support without hesitation or fear of reprisal. When Russia needs ammunition, North Korea doesn't hesitate. When Moscow seeks unconditional loyalty, Pyongyang obliges.

The economic angle is equally revealing. North Korea's continued arms exports, despite global sanctions, expose the limits of Western financial pressure against nuclear-armed states. These deals likely rely on barter, sanctioned intermediaries or alternative currencies, bypassing the Western-dominated financial system entirely.

This emerging“division of labor” serves all parties. Iran maintains plausible deniability while pursuing regional goals. North Korea monetizes its military stockpiles and showcases its strategic relevance. Russia receives diverse forms of support tailored to each partner's risk tolerance.

What's forming is not a formal alliance but an ecosystem - one defined by transactional partnerships, hardened regimes and nuclear immunity.

For Washington, this presents a sobering dilemma. The standard toolkit - sanctions, isolation, limited military threats - loses its effectiveness when adversaries are nuclear-armed, deeply sanctioned and increasingly interconnected.