Recent comments by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warning that Iran could follow North Korea's path of nuclear belligerence, and the Trump administration's certification, in turn, that Iran is complying with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), seem to send mixed messages. However, any guarantee of Iran's compliance must grapple with the fact that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors can only inspect declared, and not military or undeclared, nuclear development sites.
"An unchecked Iran has the potential to follow the same path as North Korea and take the world along with it," said Tillerson at the State Department. "The United States is keen to avoid a second piece of evidence that strategic patience is a failed approach."
