The United States will in the coming days ask a UN Security Council committee to impose sanctions on seven ships suspected of violating UN sanctions on North Korea, a US State Department official said on Monday.
The seven vessels have illegally exported North Korean coal and iron ore to China, which traditionally earns Pyongyang between $200 million and $400 million a year, said the US official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"These nominations are not just bureaucratic exercises. They're about ensuring accountability for UN sanctions violations and stopping exports that directly fund North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs," the official said.
However, the Security Council's 15-member sanctions committee operates by consensus and it was not immediately clear if North Korea's friends Russia and China would agree. The Russian and Chinese missions to the UN in New York did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
North Korea has been under UN sanctions for its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs since 2006. Those measures have unanimously been strengthened over the years, but the council is now deadlocked as China and Russia push for them to be eased to convince Pyongyang to return to denuclearisation talks.
Among the security council sanctions are a ban on North Korean exports including coal, iron, lead, textiles and seafood, and caps on imports of crude oil and refined petroleum products.
The security council can impose an asset freeze on a ship, ban it from entering ports and require the ship's country of registration to "de-flag" the vessel.
The United States has signaled for months that it would propose new vessels for designation at the United Nations, but it was unclear why it had chosen to act now.
Nuclear-armed North Korea has ignored overtures from US President Donald Trump, who wants to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and has dramatically advanced its missile and conventional military capabilities.
"If there are no consequences for violations, sanctions risk becoming meaningless, and threats to international peace and security like the DPRK nuclear and ballistic missile programs will continue to grow unchecked," said the State Department official, referring to the country's formal name - the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; editing by Mark Heinrich)