[hef19898]

That is far from selling actual warheads, isn't it? And the history of nuclear prolifiration is long and complicated.

[alephnerd]

yep! pretty much, but selling the supply chain and specs themselves is almost as bad. It took PK almost 30 years with PRC information transfer to build the Islamic bomb, but 10 for NK thanks to Khan Labs.

[hef19898]

And how many new nuclear powers are there since North Korea? I can not think of any.

[alephnerd]

Libya and Syria both contracted with Khan Labs before the whistle was blown in 2003.

Iran is almost one.

[hef19898]

Neither Libya nor Syria have them, do they? And Iran was close, but the treaty (the one the last US admin tore appart) stopped them for the time being.

[alephnerd]

Libya does not due to sanctions and diplomacy in 2003 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disarmament_of_Libya

Syria does not due to Israeli airstrikes in 2007 and sanctions until the Civil War began - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Outside_the_Box

Iran has started building again - https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/01/world/middleeast/iran-mis...

None of what you are saying even contravenes my larger point though