China and Russia on Thursday vetoed tougher United Nations sanctions against North Korea, rejecting a US effort to punish Pyongyang for testing an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Iran PressAmerica: The vote on Thursday comes a day after Pyongyang fired three missiles, including one thought to be its largest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the latest in a string of banned ballistic missile launches that the country has carried out this year.

The US-drafted resolution would have reduced 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).

China and Russia vetoed on Thursday a U.S.-led push to impose more United Nations sanctions on North Korea over its renewed ballistic missile launches, publicly splitting the U.N. Security Council for the first time since it started punishing Pyongyang in 2006.

The resolution enjoyed the support of the 13 other members of the Security Council, although some US allies quietly wondered why Washington went ahead with the vote knowing the unflinching opposition from Beijing and Moscow.

The United States "should not replace one-sided emphasis on the implementation of sanctions alone. It should also work to promote the political solution," said China's ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun.

Russia's ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, accused the United States of ignoring North Korea's appeals to stop "hostile activity" and engage in dialogue. 219