U.S. looks to target 7 ships with U.N. sanctions over North Korean coal, iron exports

The U.S. is expected to ask the U.N. Security Council to impose sanctions on seven vessels allegedly used to export coal and iron from North Korea in violation of the sanctions regime, according to new reports on Tuesday.

The targeted vessels have reportedly been used to illegally export tons of North Korean iron and coal to China. Those exports are illegal under U.N. Security Council Resolution 2371, which bans the export of key North Korean minerals. 

The export missions reportedly bring in $200 million to $400 million a year for Pyongyang to further its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, an unnamed U.S. State Department official told Reuters. 

It’s unclear if the rumored sanctions proposal would go through, as permanent Security Council members China and Russia could reject it. Proposed sanctions could be implemented five days after circulation by the U.N. Sanctions Committee, according to U.N. procedure, unless they are rejected by a member state. 

The State Department confirmed the upcoming sanctions to the Times and said they are intended hold North Korea accountable for previous sanctions violations.

The State Department under President Trump has ramped up its fight against so-called shadow vessels, used by heavily sanctioned nation-states to skirt economic pressure. Recently, the U.S. announced new sanctions on dozens of shadow vessels exporting Iranian oil to China. 

The ships reportedly included the upcoming sanctions request include the Mars, Cartier, Sofia, Armani and YiLi 1 vessels. Many of the ships are not officially based in North Korea or China and utilize geo-spoofing to conceal their location and contents. 

Such U.N.-backed sanctions would give the Security Council the ability to freeze assets on the ships and force their countries of origin to deflag the vessels. 

The rumored sanctions follow Mr. Trump’s recent visit to the Korean peninsula. The president had expressed a desire to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, though the meeting never materialized.