WASHINGTON (AP) – Senate leaders are pledging swift action on legislation to impose more stringent sanctions on North Korea for what they say are flagrant violations of international law.

Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday that the Senate has an opportunity to hold Pyongyang accountable for its growing aggression.

Minority Leader Harry Reid says no nation on the planet is more dedicated to fear and intimidation than North Korea.

The bill that senators are debating targets North Korea’s ability to access the money it needs for developing miniaturized nuclear warheads and the long-range missiles to deliver them, according to the legislation’s backers.

The legislation comes in the wake of Pyongyang’s recent satellite launch and technical advances that U.S. intelligence agencies say the reclusive Asian nation is making in its nuclear weapons program.