A 2009 timeline of Iran’s and North Korea’s nuclear programs and related events

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Timeline of Iranian, North Korean nuclear programs

A 2009 timeline of Iran’s and North Korea’s nuclear programs and related events:

— — Feb. 19 - A new IAEA report says Iran has increased is stockpile of low-enriched uranium. Experts say Tehran now has enough material to make a nuclear bomb.

— March 20 - Ending years of U.S. attempts to isolate Iran, President Barack Obama calls for “engagement that is honest and grounded in mutual respect.”

— April 5 - North Korea launches long-range rocket.

— April 8 - The United States takes another tentative step toward better ties with Iran by saying it will become a full participant in any nuclear talks.

— April 13 - U.N. Security Council condemns test launch of North Korean missiles.

— April 14 - North Korea announces it is withdrawing from disarmament talks and will restore partly disabled nuclear facilities.

— April 25 - North Korea says it has begun reprocessing spent fuel rods from its nuclear plant. Responding to the North’s latest missile launch, the U.N. Security Council committee endorses new sanctions on three major North Korean companies.

— May 25 - North Korea conducts its second nuclear test.

— June 12 - The U.N. Security Council adopts a second resolution sanctioning North Korea for its nuclear test.

— June 18 - Japanese newspaper reports North Korea may fire a long-range missile toward Hawaii in early July. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he has positioned more missile defenses around Hawaii.

— June 5 - An IAEA report notes further expansion of Iran’s enrichment program.

— July 2 - North Korea test-fires four short-range missiles.

— Sept. 25 - The International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran has revealed the existence of a secret uranium-enrichment plant. Backed by other world powers, Obama condemns Iran’s nuclear defiance, saying he would not rule out military action if the Iranians refuse.

— Oct. 6 - North Korea’s leader offers to return to multinational disarmament talks.

— Oct. 1 - Iran and six world powers meet again after a pause of more than a year and agree on further talks.

— Nov. 3 - North Korea says at it has completed reprocessing thousands of spent nuclear fuel rods to extract plutonium to bolster its atomic stockpile.

— Nov. 18 — Obama says his envoy on North Korea will travel to the country next month for the first bilateral talks with the communist regime since he took office.

— Nov. 18 - Iran says that Tehran will not send its enriched uranium abroad for further processing but would consider swapping it for nuclear fuel within its borders.

— Nov. 19 - Obama issues a strong warning to Iran of consequences of its failure to respond to the offer of the nuclear swap.

— Nov. 27 - The IAEA board votes to censure Iran for developing its secret uranium enrichment plant in secret and demands Iran freezes the project.

— Nov. 30 - Iran approves plans to build 10 industrial scale uranium enrichment facilities, a dramatic expansion of the program.

— Dec. 1 - Iran’s president declares that his country will enrich uranium to a much higher level.

— Dec. 10 - North Korea says it understands the need to resume stalled international talks on ending its nuclear programs and agrees to work with the U.S. to narrow “remaining differences.”