U.S. negotiators should learn from the mistakes made in dealing with North Korea as they hammer out a nuclear deal with Iran, says Rep. Ed Royce.
The California Republican, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told CNN's
"The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer" on Tuesday that the warnings of former Treasury Undersecretary Stuart Levey were ignored when he tried to shut down North Korea's economy until it agreed to inspections.
A nuclear accord was achieved with North Korea during the Clinton administration, but North Korea subsequently cheated on the deal and now has at least one — if not more — nuclear weapons.
Levey, during the George W. Bush administration, attempted to choke off North Korea's economy by cutting its access to hard currency. But Levey was overruled by the State Department, and his plan was not put into place.
"Levey's point was this: Let's shut down their economy and leave it shut down until they agree to allow the inspectors in anywhere, anytime to see if they are cheating," Royce said. "You've got to be able to be prepared to do that and cut off their hard currency and collapse the economic system."
Now, North Korea's success serves as an example to Iran, he said.
"The Iranians have stolen the playbook from North Korea," Royce said.
Royce said a military option is on the table if Iran refuses to sign an acceptable deal, but he'd rather see sanctions work, as they did against South Africa for its oppressive apartheid regime.
"That's the right answer," Royce said.
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