A senior U.S. State Department official in charge of arms control has predicted that the U.S. would receive the U.N. Security Council's strong support on imposing tough sanctions against North Korea if it carries out nuclear weapons tests.

Robert Joseph made the warning in an interview with U.S. government-affiliated broadcaster Voice of America, adding that it would be a crucial strategic blunder for Pyongyang to pursue such tests.

He said that if the North were to do so, it would face additional U.N. sanctions, vowing that Washington would refer the case to the Security Council and push for a resolution invoking Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which provides for U.N. intervention in situations that it sees as posing a threat to international peace and security.

The U.N. had previously passed a resolution after North Korea test-fired missiles on July 5 to ban financing North Korea's weapons programs and to prevent proliferation of its weapons of mass destruction. According to Joseph, in line with the July resolution, South Korea has taken voluntary measures against North Korea and China has told its banks to avoid entanglement in Pyongyang's illegal financial activities.