US seeks oil embargo on North Korea after H-bomb test

The US is pushing for tougher UN economic
sanctions against North Korea as President Trump
says military action is "not our first choice".
His comments are a step back from those last month
where he threatened "fire and fury" against
Pyongyang.
In a new diplomatic move, the White House wants
the UN Security Council to slap an oil embargo on
the secretive state as well as hitting dictator Kim
Jong Un with a travel ban and freezing his assets.
The US, which has accused Kim of "begging for war",
also believes there should be a ban on the country
exporting textiles and the hiring of North Korean
workers abroad.
The proposed measures are contained in a draft
resolution which the US wants the 15-member
council to vote on this Monday.
But Russia said that could be "a little premature" and
its leader Vladimir Putin has said solving the crisis
was impossible with sanctions alone.
Tensions between Washington and Pyongyang
escalated after the rogue nation claimed last Sunday
it had detonated a hydrogen bomb - its sixth and
most powerful nuclear test to date.
It said its test was a "perfect success" and the bomb
was designed to be mounted on its newly-developed
intercontinental ballistic missile.
Mr Trump has urged China, which is the North's main
trading partner and provides much of its oil supply, to
put more pressure on Kim to limit his controversial
nuclear programme.
The US leader told reporters he has had a "strong"
and "frank" phone conversation with China's
President Xi Jinping about North Korea and said
neither of them would put up with the rogue nation's
provocative actions.
The White House said both leaders were committed
to taking "further action" aimed at "denuclearising"
the Korean peninsula.
Mr Trump did not rule out military strikes against
Kim's secretive state, but indicated other options for
pressure would come first, adding "we'll see what
happens".
He said: "President Xi would like to do something.
We'll see whether or not he can do it. But we will not
be putting up with what's happening in North Korea."
He added: "I believe that President Xi agrees with me
100%. We had a very, very frank and very strong
phone call."
President Xi told his US counterpart that Beijing
remains committed to stopping the North's nuclear
ambitions and maintaining peace and stability on the
Korean peninsula.
:: Sanctions on North Korea are 'useless' - Putin
For a UN Security Council resolution to be adopted, it
needs nine members to back it and no vetoes by the
US, Britain, France, Russia or China.
Sky's Washington Correspondent Mark Austin said:
"China fears tough sanctions could bring down the
Kim regime and that would lead to chaos on its
border.
"It's going to be very hard for Donald Trump to get
China on side. There is no sign yet that they will
back really tough sanctions."
Washington has rejected China's proposal for a
freeze on the North's nuclear and missile tests in
exchange for a suspension of US-South Korea
military drills.
:: Mark Austin: Big threats from Trump benefit Kim
Jong Un
A report in South Korea on Tuesday claimed Kim's
regime was seen moving what appeared to be an
intercontinental ballistic missile towards its west
coast .
Analysts say it is most likely the secretive state will
carry out its next "provocative" act on or around 9
September when the country celebrates its founding
day.

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