Strategic Threats Minister Moshe Yaalon, a former IDF General and Chief of Staff, told the Knesset on Wednesday, “A weak international response towards North Korea’s provocation is liable to encourage Iran to continue its nuclear projects. A strong response, on the other hand, can bring about a change in Iran’s plans.”
North Korea carried out a successful underground nuclear bomb test on May 25.
Yaalon emphasized a major difference, however, between Iran and North Korea: “The Koreans have no interest in disseminating the ideology on which their regime is based, while the Iranian regime is arming itself for the purpose of disseminating its Khomeini-revolutionary ideology around the world, and as such its danger is much greater.”
Yaalon: Gov't OK
Yaalon, who joined the Likud last year, said that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had raised the matter of Iran to top priority in his recent visit to Washington. “The government is giving this matter very high preference,” Yaalon said.
Delay at the UN
United Nations diplomats said on Tuesday that the powers that are relatively friendly to North Korea, China and Russia, have raised questions about possible new sanctions against North Korea for its recent nuclear test. The diplomats said that these questions are delaying U.N. Security Council action that key Western powers seek against North Korea.