Iran, Russia and North Korea together behind closed doors. It should worry you.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made a rare trip out of the hermit country in the early fall to meet no other than Russian President Vladimir Putin. The topic of discussion? Increased military collaboration between the two outlier nations and what Pyongyang can do to bolster Moscow’s depleted weapons arsenal as its war in Ukraine grinds on.

But there is more to the relationship than meets the eye: and Tehran is a well-heeled tag-along, too.