Ban urges safeguarding of JCPOA

Speaking to CNBC on Monday on the sidelines of the UBS China Conference in Shanghai, Ban talked about the Iran nuclear deal and its fast-approaching January 15 deadline. By that date, the Trump administration will have to decide whether to recertify the deal or not.

Ban urged the safeguarding of the deal as an assurance of US credibility, warning that if the Washington didn't follow through on its international agreements, other countries may find little reason to enter into multilateral disarmament deals.

"I have been urging through certain channels to the US administration that it's important that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) must be kept and implemented faithfully, as agreed among the parties concerned," he said.

"Otherwise, this may give a very negative message to even North Korea. When trying to agree... on denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, how can they have trust in the international community, particularly the US, when any agreement could be easily broken by the parties who have agreed on that?"