The world “holds its breath” before a possible new North Korean nuclear test that would be a “new confirmation” that Pyongyang’s nuclear program “is advancing at full speed”, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) worried on Thursday. . .
“Everyone is holding their breath,” Rafael Grossi told reporters on the sidelines of a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine.
“Because another nuclear test would be one more confirmation of a nuclear program that is going full steam ahead in an incredibly worrying direction,” he added.
“We are following this very closely”
“More testing, of course, means they are fine-tuning their preparation and building their arsenal. So we’re watching it very closely,” he said. “We hope that doesn’t happen, but unfortunately the signs point in another direction.”
Seoul and Washington have repeatedly warned that Pyongyang could be on the verge of carrying out another nuclear test, for the first time since 2017, after a series of ballistic missile launches in recent weeks.
A missile flew over Japan last month and North Korea separately claimed to have carried out tactical nuclear exercises. The United States, Japan and South Korea warned on Wednesday that a North Korean nuclear test would provoke an “unprecedented forceful response.”
Source: BFM TV
