The US had ‘many options’ which could lead to the ‘annihilation’ of North Korea, Defence Secretary Jim Mattis said.
‘Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam, or our allies will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming,’ Mr Mattis said.
‘Kim Jong Un should take heed of the UN Security Council’s unified voice. We are not looking to the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea, but as I said, we have many options to do so.’
Earlier, when asked if he planned to attack Pyongyang, Donald Trump replied, ‘We’ll see’, and said he was holding a meeting with his military leaders.
Mr Trump also tweeted that talk of appeasement was pointless because North Korea ‘only understand one thing’, as the state promised further tests.
His hard-line rhetoric was prompted by Pyongyang’s announcement that it had successfully tested a weapon up to ten times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb that could kill millions of people. Analysts say the claims should be treated with caution, but the state’s nuclear capability is clearly advancing. The UN Security Council will meet today to discuss North Korea’s test.
Yesterday’s announcement prompted international condemnation, with Prime Minister Theresa May criticising the ‘reckless’ act and urging a speeding-up of sanctions. She said North Korea’s actions posed an ‘unacceptable further threat to the international community’ and called for ‘tougher action’.
Mrs May added that she had discussed the ‘serious and grave threat these dangerous and illegal actions present’ with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during her visit to the country last week.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said the announcement represented ‘a new order of threat’ before stating that ‘all options are on the table’. Yet he cautioned that there were no easy military solutions, saying North Korea could ‘basically vaporise large sections of the South Korean population’ if the West attacks.
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