Secretary of State John Kerry, traveling in Asia, said Friday that a nuclear deal with Iran could have the added bonus of showing North Korea there are benefits to ending its nuclear pursuits.
Kerry was visiting Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi in Beijing Friday when he said that the Iran deal, if implemented, could show North Korea the positive economic and international relations benefits possible from relinquishing nuclear weapons, the Associated Press reported.
Kerry did not say he thought North Korea would be amenable to opening discussions on its own nuclear program based on whatever limited reporting it gets from the Iran talks, however.
North Korea is widely believed to have conducted at least three successful nuclear detonations in the last 10 years, and is thought to be pursuing the ability to miniaturize a warhead so it could be put on a ballistic missile.
Like Iran, North Korea has warmed to the idea of nuclear disarmament talks so as to be freed from strict economic sanctions, only to later reject inspections. North Korea withdrew from the international non-proliferation treaty more than a decade ago.
This week the House of Representatives passed legislation allowing Congress to review and potentially reject any potential nuclear deal negotiated by President Obama with Iran. The Senate had already approved the bill, and Obama is expected to sign it.
International negotiators agreed on a framework for the deal in March; now negotiators must get to a final agreement by June 30.
