North Korea test-fired possibly its biggest intercontinental ballistic missile Thursday, raising the ante in a pressure campaign aimed at forcing the U.S. and other rivals to accept it as a nuclear power and remove crippling sanctions.

The launch, which extended North Korea’s barrage of weapons tests this year came after the U.S. and South Korean militaries said the country was preparing a flight of a new large I.C.B.M. first unveiled in October 2020.

South Korea’s military responded with live-fire drills of its own missiles launched from land, a fighter jet and a ship, underscoring a revival of tensions as nuclear negotiations remain frozen.

The U.N. Security Council is expected to meet on the test Friday.