US Seeks UN Sanctions on Ships Transporting North Korean Coal to China

The United States has announced plans to push for UN sanctions against six vessels accused of transporting North Korean coal and iron ore to Chinese ports in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. These vessels, identified by the London-based Open Source Center, include the Tanzanian-flagged Armani and Sophia, the falsely-flagged Cartier and Casio, and the unflagged Yi Li 1 and An Yu, which have used sophisticated evasion tactics like disabling AIS transmissions and spoofing digital signals to disguise their origin. The illicit shipments, potentially worth over $33 million, are believed to fund North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Camille Shea criticized Russia and China for obstructing sanctions enforcement, highlighting Russia's veto of the 1718 Committee Panel of Experts and China's alleged tolerance of these imports despite claims of compliance. The US remains committed to working with the Security Council to address these violations and reinstate monitoring mechanisms. The investigation also revealed North Korea's transfer of munitions and ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine, further breaching UN resolutions.