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Leaders of South Korea, New Zealand Strongly Condemn Expanding North Korea-Russia Military Ties 

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, shakes hands with New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon during a meeting at the Presidential Office in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (Yonhap via AP)
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, shakes hands with New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon during a meeting at the Presidential Office in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (Yonhap via AP)
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Leaders of South Korea, New Zealand Strongly Condemn Expanding North Korea-Russia Military Ties 

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, shakes hands with New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon during a meeting at the Presidential Office in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (Yonhap via AP)
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, shakes hands with New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon during a meeting at the Presidential Office in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2024. (Yonhap via AP)

The leaders of South Korea and New Zealand strongly condemned the deepening military cooperation between North Korea and Russia as they met Wednesday for a summit meant to strengthen bilateral ties.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon arrived in Seoul, the South Korean capital, on his first trip to the Asian country since he took office last November.

Luxon and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol condemned “in the strongest possible terms” the expanding military ties between North Korea and Russia, including North Korea’s export of ballistic missiles to Russia in violation of UN Security Council resolutions, according to a joint statement released by Luxon’s office.

The two leaders denounced “in the most serious of terms” North Korea’s illegal nuclear and missile development programs. They also strongly condemned Russia’s war against Ukraine and pledged to continue to support the sovereignty of Ukraine and its efforts to secure a just and lasting peace, according to the joint statement.

During the summit, Yoon and Luxon decided to launch a regular bilateral economic security dialogue to discuss challenges and opportunities.

The two emphasized the importance of strengthening trade and economic connections, noting that the two-way trade volume between South Korea and New Zealand has approximately doubled in the past decade, according to the joint statement.

The US, South Korea and their partners have steadfastly accused North Korea of supplying much-needed conventional arms to Russia to support its invasion of Ukraine in return for military and economic assistance.

Worries about the North Korean-Russia ties deepened in June, when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a pact stipulating mutual military assistance if either country is attacked.

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Iranian Calls to Confront Geopolitical Shifts in the South Caucasus

A photo of a previous meeting of the 3+3 group on the South Caucasus in Tehran (archive - Iranian Foreign Ministry)
A photo of a previous meeting of the 3+3 group on the South Caucasus in Tehran (archive - Iranian Foreign Ministry)
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Iranian Calls to Confront Geopolitical Shifts in the South Caucasus

A photo of a previous meeting of the 3+3 group on the South Caucasus in Tehran (archive - Iranian Foreign Ministry)
A photo of a previous meeting of the 3+3 group on the South Caucasus in Tehran (archive - Iranian Foreign Ministry)

Tension between Iran and Russia is mounting over the Zangezur Corridor in the South Caucasus, with both reformist and conservative politicians in Tehran suggesting that Moscow is deliberately hindering the revival of the nuclear deal with the West.
The controversy began when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov urged the implementation of the ceasefire agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, specifically the provision to open the Zangezur Corridor, which would connect mainland Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared this a “red line” that cannot be crossed.
Disrupting Strategic Trade Routes

Tehran argues that the opening of the Zangezur Corridor would sever a vital trade route linking Iran to Europe. Former Iranian MP Ali Motahari criticized Russia’s focus on the Ukraine war, saying it is disregarding Iranian interests.
Iranian MP Ahmad Naderi voiced his frustration, arguing that Iran’s previous lack of response to Russian actions undermining its national interests has only emboldened Moscow. In a post on X, Naderi stressed that Moscow must understand that strategic cooperation does not equate to compromising national interests, and called on Iran’s Foreign Ministry and military to develop a clear plan to counteract Russia’s “geopolitical ambitions.”
Russian Ambassador to Tehran Alexey Dedov was summoned to Iran’s Foreign Ministry, where he was reminded of Iran’s opposition to any changes in the geopolitical landscape of the Caucasus. This move reflects the ongoing divergence in Moscow and Tehran’s positions on regional dynamics, especially after Russia reaffirmed its commitment to opening the corridor.
Russia and the Nuclear Deal
While the surface-level dispute over the Zangezur Corridor appears to be about trade routes, some Iranian politicians believe it has deeper implications, connected to Russia’s efforts to thwart Iran’s diplomatic engagement with the West and hinder the revival of the nuclear deal.
Former MP Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, who once chaired Iran’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin is launching a “preemptive strike” to prevent any potential rapprochement between Tehran and Washington.
Falahatpisheh, in comments published by reformist media, argued that Russia is using the Zangezur Corridor as leverage to exert pressure on Tehran, ignoring Iran’s “red lines” in regional politics. He claimed that Moscow prefers an isolated Iran, viewing any reduction in tensions between Tehran and the West as a threat to its own interests.
He also argued that Iran has had to make significant concessions to Russia, with the nuclear deal becoming a casualty of the ongoing Ukraine conflict. Iran had reportedly supplied Russia with hundreds of drones during the two-and-a-half-year war, and the potential transfer of ballistic missiles is viewed as a deeply concerning escalation by some insiders.
No Secret Nuclear Program

 

In parallel, Mohammad Eslami, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, denied allegations of a secret nuclear program.
“For the past two decades, the West has used various tactics to pressure the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) into investigating Iran,” Tasnim news agency quoted him as saying.
Eslami reiterated that Iran had agreed to limit its uranium enrichment under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and placed its nuclear activities under strict oversight, with the goal of resolving any concerns about a potential nuclear weapons program. Despite this, he noted that the US unilaterally withdrew from the agreement, even though Iran had adhered to its commitments.
Eslami further criticized the three European signatories of the JCPOA—France, the United Kingdom, and Germany—along with the US, accusing them of spearheading a campaign against Iran’s nuclear program.