US imposes its largest package of sanctions on North Korea
Speaking at a conference with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, US President Donald Trump said that the US is imposing its largest package of sanctions on North Korea to pressurize the country into abandoning its nuclear missile programme. Trump warned that a "phase two" was lined up, and it would be "very, very unfortunate for the world" if the sanctions don't work.
Here's what Trump had to say
"If the sanctions don't work, we'll have to go phase two. Phase two may be a very rough thing, may be very, very unfortunate for the world. But hopefully the sanctions will work," said Trump.
The US is looking to further isolate Pyongyang through sanctions
According to a statement by the US Treasury Department, the US sanctioned one person, 27 companies, and 28 ships to disrupt North Korea's trading companies and vessels and further isolate Pyongyang. The US has also proposed blacklisting of a list of entities under separate UN sanctions "aimed at shutting down North Korea's illicit maritime smuggling activities to obtain oil and sell coal".
Trump had earlier threatened North Korea with war
Despite the US's claims that it prefers a diplomatic solution to the crisis, there remains a fear of war. North Korea's supreme leader, Kim Jong-un and President Trump have been exchanging taunts for a while now. In August last year, Trump threatened North Korea by saying that the US would go beyond sanctions and rain "fire and fury like the world has never seen".
