US President Donald Trump has praised the UN Security Council for imposing tough new sanctions on North Korea in response to ballistic missile tests.
In a tweet, Mr Trump said the vote proved the world “wants peace, not death”.
The US-drafted resolution includes measures to slash North Korea’s petrol imports by up to 90%.
China and Russia, Pyongyang’s main trading partners, voted in favour of the resolution.
North Korea is already subject to a raft of sanctions from the US, the UN and the EU.
“The United Nations Security Council just voted 15-0 in favor of additional Sanctions on North Korea. The World wants Peace, not Death!” Mr Trump tweeted.
The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said the sanctions sent an “unambiguous message to Pyongyang that further defiance will invite further punishments and isolation”.
She described North Korea as “the most tragic example of evil in the modern world”.
UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said the latest measures against North Korea were a “vital step” towards curbing its nuclear weapons programme.
He said the international community had shown it was united in its condemnation of the North’s “reckless behaviour”.
The Chinese foreign ministry described the situation on the peninsula as “complex and sensitive” and called on all sides to “exercise restraint and make active efforts to ease tensions”.
What exactly are the new sanctions?
The US said it was seeking a diplomatic solution to the issue and drafted this new set of sanctions:
– Deliveries of petrol products will be capped at 500,000 barrels a year, and crude oil at four million barrels a year
– All North Korean nationals working abroad will have to return home within 24 months under the proposals, restricting a vital source of foreign currency
– There will also be a ban on exports of North Korean goods, such as machinery and electrical equipment
Tensions have risen this year over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes, which it has pursued despite pressure from world powers.
The UN sanctions came in response to Pyongyang’s 28 November firing of a ballistic missile, which the US said was its highest yet.
Mr Trump has previously threatened to “totally destroy” North Korea if it launches a nuclear attack. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has described the US president as “mentally deranged”.
What about previous sanctions?
Last month, the US unveiled fresh sanctions against North Korea which it said were designed to limit the funding for its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
The measures targeted North Korean shipping operations and Chinese companies that trade with Pyongyang.
The UN also approved new sanctions following North Korea’s nuclear test on 3 September.
These measures restricted oil imports and banned textile exports – an attempt to starve the North of fuel and income for its weapons programmes.
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