North Korea allegedly intimated plans for the launch of a long-range rocket to the Iranian authorities earlier this year, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK.

According to the NHK report released today, an Iranian delegation led by Hamid Reza Taraghi, the deputy head of Iran’s Islamic Motalefeh Party, met Chosun Workers’ Party International Secretary Kim Young Il on October 20th while on a visit to Pyongyang.

Reportedly, Kim told his Iranian counterparts, “Preparations for the launch of a satellite have become possible.”

The U.S. believes that there was a significant likelihood that the long-range rocket launched by North Korea in April used Iranian technology, and similarly, that the December 12th launch involved cooperation with Iranian scientists.