Breaking Defense – WASHINGTON: The Intelligence Community does not agree with President Trump that North Korea is “no longer a nuclear threat.” We know that because Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats told the Senate Intelligence Community today that Kim Il Sung’s country is “not likely to give up” all its nuclear weapons.
Coats was not alone in his assessment. CIA Director Gina Haspel added a wrinkle when she told the Senate that the North Korean government remains “committed to developing a long-range nuclear-armed missile that would pose a direct threat to the United States.” Note mention of the long-range ballistic missile. While there have not been any missile tests since Trump and Kim met in Singapore, which anyone would point to as good news, Haspel’s assessment raises the issue of just what work is going on out of sight.
Coats also told lawmakers that Iran is not “currently undertaking the key nuclear weapons-development activity,” in stark contrast to President Trump’s claims that he pulled America out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA aka the Iran nuclear deal) because Iran was violating it.
