UN Council to Vote Thursday on Tougher N.Korea Sanctions

FILE PHOTO: Members of the United Nations Security Council gather during a meeting about the situation in Venezuela, in New York, US, February 26, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
FILE PHOTO: Members of the United Nations Security Council gather during a meeting about the situation in Venezuela, in New York, US, February 26, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
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UN Council to Vote Thursday on Tougher N.Korea Sanctions

FILE PHOTO: Members of the United Nations Security Council gather during a meeting about the situation in Venezuela, in New York, US, February 26, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
FILE PHOTO: Members of the United Nations Security Council gather during a meeting about the situation in Venezuela, in New York, US, February 26, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

The United Nations Security Council will vote Thursday, at the request of the United States, on a resolution aimed at toughening sanctions on North Korea after it fired an intercontinental ballistic missile, diplomats said Wednesday.

The United States, which holds the rotating Security Council presidency for May, has scheduled the vote for the late afternoon, two diplomats told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Earlier, a senior US official said the resolution would notably look at curbing oil imports, although diplomats say Russia and China could exercise their veto power.

The official noted that Security Council Resolution 2397, adopted unanimously in 2017, called for further consequences in the event of another ICBM launch.

"That was a provision of that resolution. That's precisely what happened and so we feel it's now time to take action," the official said on condition of anonymity.

The official declined to comment on whether Russia and China would veto the text but said, "We think that this resolution will have strong support because this is an issue that's of profound importance to us, obviously, (and) of profound importance to our allies Japan and South Korea."

According to a diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity, Beijing could be willing to adopt new sanctions in the event of nuclear testing, but not over missile launches.

A spokesperson for the Chinese mission meanwhile told AFP that "We don't think a resolution as proposed by the US can solve any problem."

Beijing said it had proposed its own statement on North Korea but it "fell on deaf ears of the US."

The US draft resolution up for vote Thursday calls for a reduction in the amount of oil that North Korea can legally import each year for civilian purposes from four million to three million barrels (525,000 to 393,750 tons).

It would similarly cut imports of refined petroleum from 500,000 to 375,000 barrels.

The resolution would also impose further sanctions on North Korean exports including of clocks, watches and mineral fuels.

The United States and South Korea say that North Korea fired three missiles, including possibly its largest ICBM, hours after President Joe Biden closed a visit to the region.

One UN envoy whose country is on the Security Council, who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, acknowledged the "huge threat" posed by North Korea's actions, but indicated the US decision to push for a quick vote could still backfire.

"A division of the Security Council on this crisis would be bad," the envoy said, noting the high stakes on the nuclear proliferation issue.

"If the draft is rejected, I'm afraid it will just be good news for the young leader of the DPRK," the ambassador said, adding that such a rift on the council would make it more difficult to "increase the pressure" on Pyongyang.



Iranian Missile Hits Main Hospital in Southern Israel as Strikes Wound Dozens

Smoke rises from Soroka Medical Center following a missile strike from Iran on Israel, in Be'er Sheva, Israel June 19, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Smoke rises from Soroka Medical Center following a missile strike from Iran on Israel, in Be'er Sheva, Israel June 19, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
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Iranian Missile Hits Main Hospital in Southern Israel as Strikes Wound Dozens

Smoke rises from Soroka Medical Center following a missile strike from Iran on Israel, in Be'er Sheva, Israel June 19, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Smoke rises from Soroka Medical Center following a missile strike from Iran on Israel, in Be'er Sheva, Israel June 19, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen

An Iranian missile slammed into the main hospital in southern Israel early Thursday, wounding people and causing “extensive damage," according to the medical facility. 

Israeli media aired footage of blown-out windows and heavy black smoke.

Another missile hit a high-rise building and several other residential buildings in at least two sites near Tel Aviv. At least 40 people were wounded in the attacks, according to Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service.

Israel, meanwhile, carried out strikes on Iran’s Arak heavy water reactor, in its latest attack on the country's sprawling nuclear program, on the seventh day of a conflict that began with a surprise wave of Israeli airstrikes targeting military sites, senior officers and nuclear scientists.

Iran has fired hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel, though most have been shot down by Israel's multi-tiered air defenses, which detect incoming fire and shoot down missiles heading toward population centers and critical infrastructure. Israeli officials acknowledge it is imperfect.

The missile hit the Soroka Medical Center, which has over 1,000 beds and provides services to the approximately 1 million residents of Israel’s south.

A hospital statement said several parts of the medical center were damaged and that the emergency room was treating several minor injuries. The hospital was closed to all new patients except for life-threatening cases. It was not immediately clear how many were wounded in the strike.

Many hospitals in Israel activated emergency plans in the past week, converting underground parking to hospital floors and move patients underground, especially those who are on ventilators or are difficult to move quickly.

Israel’s military said its fighter jets targeted the Arak facility and its reactor core seal to halt it from being used to produce plutonium.

“The strike targeted the component intended for plutonium production, in order to prevent the reactor from being restored and used for nuclear weapons development,” the military said. Israel separately claimed to have struck another site around Natanz it described as being related to Iran’s nuclear program.

Iranian state TV said there was “no radiation danger whatsoever” from the attack on the Arak site. An Iranian state television reporter, speaking live in the nearby town of Khondab, said the facility had been evacuated and there was no damage to civilian areas around the reactor.

Israel had warned earlier Thursday morning it would attack the facility and urged the public to flee the area.