US Coast Guard/Petty Officer Bryan Goff
- The Trump administration and Asian allies are preparing to expand interceptions of ships suspected of violating sanctions on North Korea.
- The plan reportedly includes deploying US Coast Guard units to stop and search ships.
- On Friday, the US slapped additional sanctions on companies and vessels linked to the North Korean shipping trade and urged the United Nations to blacklist a list of entities.
- North Korea warned it would consider a blockade an act of war.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Trump administration and key Asian allies are preparing to expand interceptions of ships suspected of violating sanctions on North Korea, a plan that could include deploying U.S. Coast Guard forces to stop and search vessels in Asia-Pacific waters, senior U.S. officials said.
Washington has been talking to regional partners, including Japan, South Korea, Australia and Singapore, about coordinating a stepped-up crackdown that would go further than ever before in an attempt to squeeze Pyongyang’s use of seagoing trade to feed its nuclear missile program, several officials told Reuters.See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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See Also:
- Trump expected to announce ‘largest package of new sanctions’ against North Korea
- North Korea plans to send a man blamed for the death of 46 South Korean sailors to the Winter Olympics closing ceremony
- US intelligence agencies are scrambling at a nearly unprecedented rate to focus resources on North Korea
