North Korea warned on Sunday that the latest round of United Nations sanctions were tantamount to an act of war and complete economic blockade, threatening punishment against supporters of the new measures.

Sunday’s statement was the culmination of the latest round of warmongering rhetoric between Pyongyang and Washington after US Defence Secretary James Mattis cautioned on Friday that “storm clouds are gathering” over the Korean peninsula while addressing a US Air Force base.

The UN security council unanimously voted to step up its sanctions against North Korea on Friday in retaliation against its most recent intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test in November 29, which it claimed was capable of carrying a nuclear weapon to the US mainland.

China, North Korea’s historical ally, and Russia both supported the resolution in an effort to prevent war, reported the Chinese state-run Global Times.

The US-drafted restrictions seek to ban nearly 90 per cent of refined petroleum exports to North Korea by capping them at 500,000 barrels a year and demand the repatriation of North Koreans earning remunerations abroad within 24 months, a change from an earlier proposal of 12 months.