(United Nations) The United States will call for a vote in the UN Security Council to toughen sanctions against North Korea, a senior American official said on Wednesday, shortly after a suspected intercontinental ballistic missile was fired by Pyongyang.
Posted at 5:13 p.m.
The senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said he expected a vote “in the coming days” on a resolution that would notably restrict oil imports. However, diplomats have indicated that Russia and China could use their right of veto.
The senior US official also noted that a 2017 Security Council resolution, then passed unanimously, called for additional sanctions for North Korea in the event of an intercontinental ballistic missile launch.
“It was one of the conditions of this resolution. That’s exactly what happened and that’s why we think now is the time to act,” he said.
The United States holds the presidency of the Security Council until the end of the month.
The senior official declined to comment on a potential veto by Moscow and Beijing, but said: “We believe this resolution will be strongly supported because it is an issue of deep importance to us, of course, and to our allies in the Japan and South Korea”.
A draft resolution calls for a reduction from the current four million barrels of oil to three million barrels, the amount North Korea can legally import each year for civilian uses.
The project would also cut imports of refined oil, from 500,000 to 375,000 barrels.
The resolution would also impose more sanctions on North Korean exports, including clocks, watches, and mineral fuels.
North Korea fired a volley of missiles on Wednesday, including probably its largest intercontinental ballistic missile, hours after the departure from the region of US President Joe Biden, who came to Asia in particular to reaffirm his support for Seoul and Tokyo in the face of the nuclear threat from Pyongyang.