Iran has no nuclear weapons ambitions or programs that it would abandon under external pressure.

But there is no point prolonging negotiations if Iran intends only to use them to buy time to further advance its nuclear weapons ambitions.

North Korea said Tuesday that it would not "tolerate" Japanese participation in future talks about its nuclear weapons ambitions.

Iran denies that it has any nuclear weapons ambitions and says it is focused purely on energy.

North Korea seems to have been caught preparing to betray its 1994 commitment to trade in its nuclear weapons ambitions for $6 billion in international assistance.

North Korea, he said, must not only abandon its "nuclear weapons ambitions," it must "accept a reliable verification regime.

Besides, the real problem is not finding a means to punish Iran, but persuading it to abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions.

Any hope of getting Iran to abandon its nuclear weapons ambitions will require a full-court sanctions press from the United States, the European Union and Russia.

That would put the onus on India to follow suit or be left with North Korea as the only nations refusing to curb their nuclear weapons ambitions.

Critics of the deal also said it would now be more difficult for the United States to persuade Iran and other nations to give up their nuclear weapons ambitions.