Niklas Swanström was interviewed by the South China Morning Post on whether the US strike on Iran will strengthen North Korea’s nuclear resolve
July 16, 2025: Niklas Swanström, ISDP’s Executive Director, was interviewed by the South China Morning Post on whether the US strike on Iran will strengthen North Korea’s nuclear resolve and why China might be worried.
“According to Niklas Swanstrom, executive director of the Stockholm-based Institute for Security and Development Policy, the US strikes on Iran are likely to drive North Korea to make its nuclear arsenal more “mobile and dispersed”, prioritise second-strike capability, and invest heavily in deep underground facilities and redundant production capabilities.”
“Any remaining possibility of North Korean denuclearisation will be effectively terminated, as the regime will view nuclear weapons as the ultimate guarantee of survival,” Niklas Swanström said.