United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned that if the UN does not either accelerate diplomatic talks with Iran or aggressively decide whether such talks are effective, Iran might use diplomacy as a cover for continuing to build a nuclear bomb—just like North Korea.

“We should not give much more time to the Iranians, and we should not waste time. We have seen what happened with the DPRK,” Ban told the Washington Post, referring to North Korea’s launch of a third nuclear test device this week despite more than 10 years of diplomacy efforts to prevent it from pursuing nuclear weapons technology. “They [were] secretly, quietly, without any obligations, without any pressure, making progress,” he added.

Ban has traveled to Iran despite objections from other nations, especially the United States and Israel. While there he voiced his uncertainty to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that the country’s nuclear research is peaceful, as Iran claims it is. The UN now plans to release a report that shows duplicity on the part of Iran regarding its nuclear intentions. Just recently, Iran transformed part of its accumulated uranium into metal that cannot be used for weapons, while also trying to purchase thousands of magnets for use in centrifuge machines.

Ban’s interview with the Washington Post came before his meeting with new U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. After the meeting on Thursday, February 15, Kerry said diplomatic talks could only continue if Iran is willing to “make and discuss real offers and engage in a real dialogue.” According to U.S. sources cited by the Washington Post, Iran could assemble a nuclear weapon as soon as next year.