The U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency

The U. N. International Atomic Energy Agency referred (提交；把……提交；使求助于；归诸于) the North Korean nuclear issue to the U. N. Security Council Thursday. The council could consider economic sanctions against North Korea. The North has said it would consider any sanctions to be a declaration of war. The nuclear argument began in October when U. S. officials said North Korea admitted having a covert nuclear program. Washington and its allies suspended fuel shipments, and the North retaliated by expelling U. N. monitors, taking steps to restart frozen nuclear facilities and withdrawing from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.