[The Hill] Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) on Monday said North Korea's aggressive actions are motivated by the hope that the hostile state can strike a nuclear deal with President Trump similar to the one given to Iran during Obama's administration."I think that, right now, they don’t want to fight the United States," Franks said on CNN's "New Day."
"The reality is that North Korea has been paying attention," he continued, pointing to the past weapons deals Pyongyang has made with former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
The Arizona lawmaker says he believes North Korea observed the "incredible compensation" given to Iran in its landmark nuclear deal, motivating them to try to receive the same.
"And then they watched the Iran nuclear deal. In that case, there was incredible compensation given so North Korea is hoping to somehow bluff their way into greater compensation," the House Armed Services Committee member said, adding that the deal did not force Iran to dismantle is nuclear weapons program.
Trump begrudgingly certified that Iran was in compliance with the nuclear deal in July, despite fiercely criticized the agreement as the "the worst deal ever."
Franks's remarks come at a time of heightened tensions after Pyongyang conducted string of recent missile tests and advancement of its nuclear program.