Who's the Bigger Threat?
In light of recent behaviors and rhetoric coming out of the North Koreans, who do you feel is a larger threat - North Korea or Iran?
North Korea has a nuclear weapons programs and has tested its weapons in '06, '09. and '13. It also has the ability to enrich uranium and produce plutonium. Even as of yesterday, the North was deploying short-range missiles, however they also have medium-range ballistic missiles in its arsenal. The North also fired off a long-range rocket in 2012. Additionally, Pyongyang withdrew from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in January of '03 and is also not a member of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty. They are also not a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention and it is believed they possess a large quantity of chemical weapons. Within the last two weeks, the world also heard the rhetoric from Pyongyang about their withdrawal from the armistice which ended the Korean War.

Iran, on the other hand, has been a party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons since the 1970's. They do contain an extensive nuclear weapons program, however, it is for 'peaceful' purpose. It is reported that Iran does enrich its own uranium. Iran is not a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime and is working diligently to deploy ballistic missiles and space capabilities. Within the last four years, Iran began making its own nuclear fuel and even began a second uranium-enrichment plant. Of late, Tehran's behaviors have led many to worry that Iran is really trying to gain nuclear capabilities in order to use these weapons for non-peaceful purposes. It is reported that Washington believes that Iran has the capabilities of producing enough weapons-grade uranium for five nuclear bombs.
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