JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: On the subject of the North Korea, the United States State Department imposed penalties on that communist country and on Iran on Friday for allegedly trading missile technology. State Department correspondent Andrea Koppel joins us now with the latest -- Andrea.</s>ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Judy, the State Department says that North Korea is still selling advanced weapons systems to Iran capable of reaching Israel, Saudi Arabia, parts of Turkey and also parts of southern Russia. These are essentially big scuds developed by North Korea. They call them the No-dong missile. They have a range of 1,300 kilometers. As one senior Clinton administration official put it, if there's any good news in this, it's the fact that Iran is still buying engine parts for these No-dong missiles and technology from North Korea, which suggests that Iran's own missile program may not be as advanced as the U.S. had once believed, and they may actually be experiencing some very serious technical difficulties. There has been no response so far from Teheran or Pyongyong. The sanctions are in effect immediately and are essentially meaningless, Judy, because as you know, the U.S. doesn't allow trade with either country -- Judy.</s>WOODRUFF: All right, CNN's Andrea Koppel reporting from the State Department, thanks. Search CNN.com CNNSI.com CNNmoney.com The Web
U.S. State Department Imposes Sanctions on North Korea and Iran for Trading Missile Systems