Nuclear test ban monitor says he sees hope of Iran joining treaty

Secretary General of the Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) Lassina Zerbo gestures during an interview with Reuters in Vienna, Austria September 28, 2017. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

GENEVA (Reuters) - Iran may be interested in joining a key nuclear treaty if the United States withdraws its threat to rip up an existing deal on Tehran's nuclear ambitions, the head of the CTBTO nuclear watchdog said on Monday.

Lassina Zerbo, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization, was speaking on the sidelines of a nuclear non-proliferation conference in Geneva, where many diplomats are concerned about U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to quit the Iran nuclear deal known as the JCPOA.