After North Korea Missile Launch, US Urges China, Russia To Act

Agencies
September 15, 2017

Washington, Sept 15:  The United States on Thursday called on China and Russia to take "direct actions" to rein in North Korea after it fired a ballistic missile over Japan into the Pacific.

"China supplies North Korea with most of its oil. Russia is the largest employer of North Korean forced labor," Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said in a statement.

"China and Russia must indicate their intolerance for these reckless missile launches by taking direct actions of their own."

The launch, from near Pyongyang, came after the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) imposed an eighth set of sanctions on the country over its ballistic missile and atomic weapons programs.

Tillerson called those fresh punitive measures "the floor, not the ceiling, of the actions we should take. We call on all nations to take new measures against the Kim regime."

"These continued provocations only deepen North Korea's diplomatic and economic isolation."

US President Donald Trump has yet to comment on the launch but according to the White House has been briefed.

The UN Security Council will hold a closed-door emergency meeting Friday at 3:00 pm (1900 GMT) at the request of the United States and Japan.

Tillerson's call for action came hours after the US military's regional command confirmed North Korea had fired the intermediate range ballistic missile over Japan and into the Pacific Ocean, noting it had not posed a threat to North America.

It is the second time in less than a month that North Korea launched a missile that flew over Japan.

Seoul's defense ministry said the latest missile probably traveled around 3,700 kilometers and reached a maximum altitude of 770 kilometers- further and higher than the Hwasong-12 IRBM launched at the end of August.

That launch was followed by a nuclear test on September 3, its largest to date, which Pyongyang said was a hydrogen bomb small enough to fit onto a missile.

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News Network
December 7,2025

envoy.jpg

Since 1946, the United States has attempted 93 coups or “regime change” operations across the world — including two in Iran, US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack has admitted.

Speaking to the UAE-based IMI Media Group, in remarks published by The National, Barrack said Washington tried twice to overthrow the Iranian government but failed both times. 

“For (Trump) then to be imputed with regime change — we had two regime changes in Iran already. Neither one worked. So I think wisely leave it to the region to solve,” said Barrack, who also serves as the US ambassador to Turkey.

His comments come six months after the US joined Israel in airstrikes against Iran during ongoing indirect nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington.

On June 13, Israel launched an attack on Iran that killed at least 1,064 people and hit civilian infrastructure. Days later, the United States targeted three nuclear facilities — Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan — in what Iran called a clear violation of international law. Iranian retaliation eventually forced a halt to the assault on June 24.

Barrack further claimed that US President Donald Trump and Foreign Secretary Marco Rubio are “not into regime change” and prefer a regional approach driven by Middle Eastern countries themselves. According to him, regional dialogue and non-interference by outside powers offer a more durable path forward.

He added that Washington is still open to an agreement with Tehran if Iranian authorities show “seriousness” and willingness to engage constructively.

However, Iran maintains the US has not shown readiness for meaningful talks. In an interview with Japan’s Kyodo News, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said negotiations could advance only if Washington acknowledges Iran’s right to peaceful nuclear energy and lifts unilateral sanctions.

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