US calls for tougher UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea

The United States called Friday for tougher international sanctions against North Korea at the UN Security Council, accusing Pyongyang of "increasingly dangerous provocations" after it test-fired its largest-ever intercontinental ballistic missile.

"The United States calls on all member states to fully implement the existing Security Council resolutions," US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said during the meeting convened to discuss North Korea.

The unanimously adopted text was voted on a month after Pyongyang fired its last previous intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the Hwasong-15, which was deemed powerful enough to reach the continental United States.

Following Friday's meeting, a group of 15 nations including permanent Security Council members Britain, France and the US -- but minus China and Russia -- released a joint statement condemning Pyongyang's latest launch "in the strongest terms" and warning it "poses a threat" to the entire international community.

The Group of Seven nations and the EU on Friday condemned what they said was North Korea's "blatant violation" of its obligations under Security Council resolutions.