VIENNA (Web Desk) – Welcoming the Iran Nuclear Deal, CTBTO head Lassina Zerbo has termed it a significant milestone towards development on non-proliferation and disarmament issues.
Iran and six world powers reached an agreement on Tuesday in Vienna, Austria.
“I am very pleased that an agreement was reached between Iran and the E3/EU+3 group of countries,” said the executive secretary of Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO).
“The agreement is a significant milestone that offers a new opportunity for progress on non-proliferation and disarmament issues. I congratulate Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union on this historic accomplishment,” he said in a statement issued today (Thursday).
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) bans all nuclear explosions everywhere, by everyone. CTBTO is building an International Monitoring System to make sure that no nuclear explosion goes undetected.
Currently, around 90 percent of this network has been established. Overall, 183 States have signed the Treaty of which 164 have also ratified.
For the CTBT to enter into force, it must be signed and ratified by 44 specific States. The remaining eight States are: China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan and the United States.
