IAEA says North Korea nuclear test deeply troubling and regrettable act

The flag of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) flies in front of its headquarters in Vienna, Austria, January 15, 2016. REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger/Files

ZURICH (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog said Friday's nuclear test by North Korea was a "clear violation of numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions" and disregarded repeated demands from the international community. "It is a deeply troubling and regrettable act," International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano said in a video on the IAEA's website. He added that the IAEA is ready to resume verification activities in North Korea once a political agreement had been reached among the countries concerned. North Korea conducted its fifth nuclear test on Friday, setting off a blast that was more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, and said it had mastered the ability to mount a warhead on a ballistic missile. (Reporting by Joshua Franklin and John Miller; editing by Brenna Hughes Neghaiwi)