Iranian nuclear specialists made three clandestine visits to North Korea earlier this year even as the latter faced international criticism for its nuclear arms ambitions, a Japanese press report said Wednesday.
According to the Sankei newspaper, the Iranian scientists may have paid for lessons in handling international nuclear inspectors during their visits between March and May.
These visits might have been "aimed at receiving know-how from North Korea on ways to deal with international inspection teams," a source "related to the Korean peninsula" was quoted as saying by the daily.
Citing widespread suspicions that Iran used North Korean technology in developing a medium-range ballistic missile test-fired in 1998, the source added the Iranian experts might have also discussed "cooperation toward nuclear development."
Two Iranian nuclear experts stayed in the North for several days in March for talks with North Korean figures in charge of nuclear development, the daily added.
Another Iranian expert traveled to North Korea in April, while two more spent 10 days in the country in May. (Albawaba.com)
