In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful   Madam, Chairperson, Executive Secretary, Distinguished delegates,             I would like to express my gratitude to Your Excellency Ambassador Faouzia Mebarki, Permanent Representative of Algeria for your able leadership, and relentless efforts done as chairperson of the Preparatory Commission. Let me assure you of full cooperation and support of my delegation in discharge of your mandate.             I also wish to commend the Executive Secretary, Dr. Lassina Zerbo, for his diligent exertions as well as his professional, transparent and impartial leadership of the PTS and also thank him for his informative opening remarks, which were mainly dedicated to presenting the reports on PTS activities during the past few months. Indeed, the continuity of their professional work, despite restrictions and difficult situation posed by the Covid-19 pandemic is highly valued.   Madam Chairperson,           Associating my delegation with the statement of the Group of 77 and China, delivered by the distinguished Ambassador of Malaysia, I would like to raise some points in my national capacity as follow: The Islamic Republic of Iran wishes to reiterate its long standing and principled position on the need for the total elimination of all nuclear weapons. In this regard, we reaffirm our strong support for the objectives of the CTBT, the principal cause of which is to terminate the development and qualitative improvement of nuclear weapons and ending the development of advanced new types of nuclear weapons. Most regrettably, more than two decades after the Treaty’s adoption, achieving this objective has become ever more elusive. Unfortunately the international community recently witnessed a destructive approach towards nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation Treaties by some of Nuclear States. In fact, modernization and testing nuclear weapons undermine the NPT as the cornerstone of the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime as well as threaten the international peace and security. As the latest instance, launching a new generation of intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of carrying several nuclear warheads (M51) by a French submarine on 12 June 2020 is incompatible with France's international obligations.  Unilateral and illegal withdrawal from many international agreements, including INF, OST, and the JCPOA has become a policy practice for the United States that is contrary to multilateralism and undermines the international peace and security. In this connection, my delegation expresses its deep concern on reports that senior officials of the United States have discussed the possibility of conducting nuclear test explosions, which if carried out, would not only be considered as a vivid breach of the global moratorium on nuclear weapon test explosions, but also severely undermines the nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime, thereby the international peace and security. We further noted with grave concern that the U.S. Senate panel approved $10 million budget to prepare for such a nuclear test. My delegation calls upon the U.S. and France to comply with their commitments in safeguarding the purposes and objectives of the disarmament Treaties.   Madam Chairperson, On the issue of the process for the appointment of the Executive Secretary of the Provisional Technical Secretariat of the Preparatory Commission of the CTBTO, as mentioned in the informal consultation, you are willing to check with the incumbent Executive Secretary Dr. Lassina Zerbo for his availability to run and consult with the States Signatories on a consensual arrangement in this regard. My delegation is supportive of your idea and assures you of its full cooperation with a view to reach a satisfactory arrangement in this regard. With regard to the election procedure adopted in 2012, we believe that still more consultations are needed on the possible amendment of some elements of the procedure. We are of the view that, to guarantee an all-inclusive and most appropriate arrangement, the Preparatory Commission should avoid taking any hasty approach. In this context, we would like to emphasize that the Vienna spirit and the principle of consensus should prevail in this process. Furthermore, with a view to facilitating a consensus, informal "straw polls", may be carried out as many times as it deemed necessary during consultations and before entering into “election stage”. It should also be notified that to ensure all-inclusiveness of the process, it is advisable that none of the States Signatories should be excluded from the consultations or appointment process.  Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to stress that the exceptional nature of the current session of the Commission, including the abbreviated agenda and virtual format, must not set any precedent for the future work of the sessions, nor be considered as an amendment to the existing established rules, norms or practices of the CTBTO.   I thank you Madam Chairperson.