Iran is taking same path to nuclear weapons as North Korea, says Ban Ki-Moon
Iran is using the same methods as North Korea to develop its nuclear capabilities, requiring "firm, decisive and effective" action by the Security Council, the United Nations secretary general has warned.
Left: the Punggye-ni Nuclear Test Facility in North Korea; right: the military complex at Parchin, Iran Photo: Reuters/AP
By Julian Ryall, in Tokyo and David Blair
9:26PM GMT 15 Feb 2013
Two days after North Korea carried out its third nuclear test, Ban Ki-Moon said Iran was on the same path towards the covert development of a nuclear weapon.
The Security Council is considering whether to tighten sanctions on North Korea after its latest nuclear test. The country's diplomats are understood to have told China, their only ally, that they will press on and conduct two more controlled explosions of nuclear weapons later this year.
China, exasperated by Pyongyang's behaviour, is understood to be prepared to support tougher sanctions against its neighbour.
In addition, EU foreign ministers meeting on Monday will agree new sanctions against North Korea ranging from financial measures to travel bans and asset freezes against individuals.
Mr Ban said that North Korea's example held lessons for how to deal with Iran's nuclear ambitions. "We should not give much more time to the Iranians, and we should not waste time," he told the Washington Post. "We have seen what happened with the DPRK [North Korea]. It ended up that they [were] secretly, quietly, without any obligations, without any pressure, making progress."
Mr Ban disclosed that when he visited Tehran last year, he told Iranian leaders directly that he disbelieved their assurances about the peaceful nature of their nuclear ambitions.
On Feb 26, Iran will hold direct talks with the world's six leading powers, including America, at a summit in Kazakhstan. It follows three rounds of negotiations last year. None made any progress.
Iran has defied six UN resolutions and continues to enrich uranium, a highly sensitive process that could be used to make fuel for power stations – which Tehran says is the only goal – or the fissile core of a nuclear weapon.
