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Iran bought submarines from N. Korea, helped Syria get WMDs: report
By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 (Yonhap) -- Iran has purchased several midget submarines from North Korea and has helped Syria get missiles and other forms of weapons of mass destruction from the North, a report has said.
"Iran purportedly has acted as an intermediary with North Korea to supply Syria with various forms of WMD and missile technology," said a Congressional Research Service report, "Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses."
The report, issued Oct. 5, described the Obama administration's recent engagement with Syria as "means to wean Syria away from its alliance with Iran."
However, the report predicted that such an effort will not likely succeed, saying, "Iran is a major investor in the Syrian economy, which attracts very little Western investment, and some believe the Iran-Syria alliance is not easily severed."
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Wednesday singled out North Korea and Iran as nonproliferation policy failures, describing "the range and intensity of current nuclear proliferation challenges" as "alarming."
"The international community failed to prevent North Korea from developing nuclear weapons. We are now engaged in diplomatic efforts to roll back this development," she said. "Iran continues to ignore resolutions from the United Nations Security Council demanding that it suspend its enrichment activities and live up to those international obligations. Thwarting the nuclear ambitions of North Korea and Iran is critical to shoring up the nonproliferation regime."
The CRS report also said that Iran "is said to possess several midget submarines, possibly purchased assembled or in kit form from North Korea."
It noted, "Iran claimed on Nov. 29, 2007, to have produced a new small sub equipped with sonar-evading technology."
Iran is believed to be one of the biggest buyers of North Korean arms, with annual purchases of up to US$2 billion.
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