So is it the "axle of evil" now?

It's funny how politics can sometimes override ideology.

North Korea, a communist and officially non-religious country, is advocating closer ties with Iran, which had a religious-based Revolution and is the closest thing to a theocracy in the world today?

Strange bedfellows, but not entirely unexpected. NK is pretty low on allies.

And both detest the U.S.

and I just found this

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems...2/s1300640.htm

If I mean when Bush invades Iran he would have a harder time than Iraq.

Russia is in it for profit only. They do not want a tie-down over there. It was expressed last year, that if the free world would pay them the amount for not helping, and sending the materials as Iran would for the project, they would back out. However, as we all know, that did not transpire.

This clearly within the realm of realpolitik. The leadership in NK and Iran have realised that the US leadership is a bit of a loose cannon when it comes to starting ambitious land wars and thus would form an alliance as a deterrent. This is not about ideology as much as it is about avoiding the fate of Saddam Hussein.