Statement:
In North Korea scientists published less significant scientific articles than in Iran

In the Citatable Scientific Publications rating North Korea holds position #136 ²⁰²¹ out of 206 and Iran is #15 out of 206 ²⁰²¹.
Position of North Korea is worse than position of Iran.

Referencies:

1. Citatable Scientific Publications ²⁰²¹ by Scimago Journal & Country Rank

   The countries in the rating sorted by 'Citable documents' in descending order.

   Iran	'Citable documents' value is	74,739
   North Korea	'Citable documents' value is	318