North Korea has warned that a new round of UN sanctions against it are "an act of war," saying the US and other nations that supported the strict measures will pay a heavy price.
The comment, another in a series of remarks made by the state against the US, comes after the UN Security Council unanimously adopted US‑drafted sanctions against North Korea for its November intercontinental ballistic missile test.
Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN, said the new sanctions will strangle North Korea's energy supplies and tighten restrictions on smuggling.
The resolution cuts exports of gasoline, diesel and other refined oil products by a total of 89%.
It also bans exports of industrial equipment, machinery, transportation vehicles and industrial metals to North Korea, and requires countries using the reclusive nation's laborers to send them back home within 24 months.
Additionally, the resolution prohibits countries from smuggling North Korean coal and other prohibited commodities by sea.
In a statement on its official news agency, North Korea's foreign ministry lashed out against the sanctions, saying the US is intimidated by the nation's nuclear power.
North Korea warned that if the United States "wishes to live safely, it must abandon its hostile policy" toward North Korea.
Source: CNN
