They pose risks to our economic interests, including access to oil and the free flow of commerce and trade. Our military bases and personnel located overseas are also within range. And our own population may be threatened by WMD in the hands of rogue states or terrorist organizations. Let me be clear, the United States has the largest global stake in nonproliferation. Our interests are threatened by proliferation anywhere.
Proliferation can make the consequences of regional rivalries far more severe.
Our qualitative edge in conventional military technology could be blunted in a proliferator's world. It is in our own direct interest to take an activist, leading role in combating proliferation. Iran is pursuing a dedicated nuclear weapons development effort. Although Desert Storm interrupted Iraq's advanced nuclear program, it maintains a human infrastructure that could build nuclear weapons if unconstrained. North Korea, also, appears to maintain nuclear aspirations.