US-North Korea tensions The recent Israel-Iran war brought the world to the brink of World War 3, especially after the United States used B-2 stealth bombers to drop 13,000 pound bunker busting GBU-57 bombs on Iranian nuclear sites of Isfahan, Fordow, and Natanz.
The conflict ended after 12 days the US mediated a ceasefire, which came into effect on Tuesday.
North Korea-US tensions and threat of World War 3
There are other major conflicts raging across the world, including the Russia-Ukraine war, and the forever tensions between India and Pakistan, which present a real threat of spilling over into a global war. But, one volatile conflict which has been simmering for decades but often overlooked are the tensions between North Korea and the United States.
After its recent attack on Iran, many geopolitical experts believe that US might be considering a similar operation against North Korea, which is a strong ally of its main rivals, China, Russia, and Iran. However, there is a major catch, North Korea, unlike Iran, is a nuclear-armed state with an estimated stockpile of at least 40 to 50 nuclear warheads, and nuclear-capable ICBMs with enough range to strike the US’ West Coast.
North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un realized that the only way to protect his regime from being toppled by a super power like the US, was to develop nuclear weapons, which he did, in addition to Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) reportedly capable of reaching the US.
Putin, Kim Jong Un may build stronger ties
Experts believe that North Korea and Russia may build stronger strategic ties after the US attack on Iran, considering that Pyongyang has already sent arms and North Korean soldiers to fight for Moscow in the Russia-Ukraine war, and in exchange, received advanced military technology and oil from Russia.
This strategic military and economic partnership between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un is expected to grow rapidly in the coming months in wake of how the US brazenly attacked Iran without any provocation on the pretext of developing nuclear weapons, a claim refuted by UN nuclear watchdog IAEA.
Russia ties with North Korea are not limited to trade, but has transformed into a strategic military partnership that includes joint development of weapons, military exercises and technology transfer.
Can North Korea-US tensions trigger a global nuclear war?
Its highly-difficult for the US to attack North Korea in the same way it did Iran because unlike the Islamic Republic, Pyongyang is believed to have at least 40 to 50 nuclear weapons, and ultra long-range ICBMS to carry them all the way to the US, experts say, adding that it also a strong strategic partner like Russia.
However, if the unthinkable happens and the US, particularly under Trump, launches an attack on a nuclear-armed North Korea, it will likely be met with a nuclear response from Pyongyang as Kim Jong Un has often threatened. This would trigger a catastrophic nuclear war, which might spill over in to World War 3, as every major nation gets involved and fires its nuclear weapons at their adversaries, threatening an extinction-level even never before seen on the planet.