WASHINGTON \u2014 The United States said Thursday that Sudan will cut all military and trade ties to North Korea, a move that would be a significant victory in the Trump administration\u2019s efforts to isolate the Stalinist nation amid increasing tensions over the North\u2019s testing of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Sudan is taking the step due to the \u201ccritical threat\u201d posed by the North\u2019s nuclear program. She said the United States welcomed the decision, which was announced after a visit to Khartoum by Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan. That visit came as the U.S. and Sudan, encouraged by Israel and Saudi Arabia, moved to improve ties after decades of hostility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIsolating the North Korean regime is a top priority for the United States, and is a key element to maintaining peace and stability worldwide,\u201d Nauert said in a statement. \u201cThe United States is grateful for Sudan\u2019s commitment to take these important steps in light of the critical threat posed by\u201d North Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Trump administration has been pushing foreign countries to reduce economic, diplomatic and other ties to Pyongyang in an effort to further isolate the country and bring it back to the negotiating table. In recent weeks, the administration has been targeting African and South Asian nations and several have agreed. Sudan has been a particular focus of the effort as part of an attempt to improve ties between Washington and Khartoum that has led to a lifting of some U.S. sanctions against Sudan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thursday\u2019s announcement came ahead of a decision expected soon for the U.S. to re-list North Korea as a \u201cstate sponsor of terrorism,\u201d a designation that President George W. Bush\u2019s administration removed in 2008 as it sought a diplomatic agreement to halt Pyongyang\u2019s atomic weapons program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters on Thursday she expected a decision on North Korea\u2019s status to be made early next week. The administration had missed an early November congressional deadline to make a decision on the designation but said it would make a determination after the conclusion of President Donald Trump\u2019s just-concluded visit to Asia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sudan is one of only three countries \u2014 the others are Iran and Syria \u2014 that are currently designated state sponsor of terrorisms by the State Department, a label that carries economic and financial sanctions. The announcement of Sudan cutting ties with North Korea will likely help its case to be removed from the list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, a senior State Department official said the potential changes to Sudan\u2019s and North Korea\u2019s designations are not directly related and that reviews of both countries are proceeding independently. The official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said a determination on Sudan would likely depend on how well it implements its pledge to cut ties with North Korea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nauert\u2019s statement said the U.S. \u201cwill continue engagement on this issue to ensure that this commitment is fully implemented.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n