North Korea Fires Missles

North Korea has fired 3 short range missiles off it’s east coast, increasing the tension of the region. This comes after conducting a nuclear test in May, also launching test rockets that threatened US and South Korean Warships patrolling the coastal waters.

Analyst Daniel Pinkston  reported the test could be training for a future launch, or just a routine military exercise and that it is impossible to know for sure. He also went on to say it is cause for concern, but it is different than launching a ballistic missile. Pinkston is a member of the “International Crisis Group” in Seoul, South Korea.

US officials say they are not surprised by the launch, and that North Korea has been carrying out provocative acts for some time. For the time being they will continue to monitor the situation and act accordingly. The Department of Treasury announced it has imposed sanctions on “Hong Kong Electronics” in Kish Island, Iran. They allege it is a cover for North Korea’s missile program

As reported on CNN The designation under Executive Order 13382 freezes any U.S. assets of Hong Kong Electronics and prohibits any transactions with the company by U.S. individuals, companies or financial institutions.

It said both also had ties with other sanctioned entities, including Iran’s Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, which it called the Iranian organization responsible for developing liquid-fueled missiles.

It is not surprising to learn that Iran is involved in the escalating situation in North Korea, however it is unsettling. It has been long known that Iran desires a nuclear weapon, and it’s very vocal hate of Israel and publicly announced threat to “rid the world of Israel”.

It is often said that things get worse before they get better, but in this situation getting worse could mean the death of millions of people. I hope it doesn’t come to that. North Korea would gain very little in launching a Nuclear weapon, but Iran is a different story. This is a very troubling possibility.