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Why Trump needs a tougher North Korea deal than Obama's pact with Iran

Geography and history make the two negotiations fundamentally different, former diplomats and nuclear disarmament experts say

Donald Trump
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President Donald Trump arrives at Paya Lebar Air Base for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Photo: AFP/PTI

Marc Champion | Bloomberg
Donald Trump will be under political pressure in Singapore this week to ensure any deal he makes with North Korea is tougher than the one Barack Obama struck with Iran. The comparison may be misleading.

Geography and history make the two negotiations fundamentally different, former diplomats and nuclear disarmament experts say. North Korea’s neighbours have lived with its nuclear arsenal for years now. Iran sits near weak and failed states with fragile borders and histories, as well as Israel, heightening the risk that even the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran could provoke war.

“It’s all about geography and one’s neighbours,’’ said Mark