Summary:
- President Trump has responded to the threats from North Korea, stating that the country “will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.”
- According to NBC News and The Washington Post, North Korea has successfully invented a smaller-scale nuclear weapon that it can fit into standard missiles.
On Tuesday, President Trump warned North Korea that the country should cease from declaring additional threats, as they will be met with “fire and fury”.
Speaking with his arms crossed, and in a very serious manner, Trump told reporters, “North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States.” He continued, “they will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen. He has been very threatening … and as I said they will be met with fire, fury and frankly power, the likes of which this world has never seen before.”
These remarks were made just hours after reports of Pyongyang’s successful creation of a miniaturized nuclear weapon surfaced. While a scale down in size was a key aspiration for the North Korean military, it does not mean that the country has already developed technology for the new miniature nuclear weapon that allows for intercontinental ballistic flight.
The announcement of such a development by Pyongyang further pressures Trump and other world leaders, as they are already running into limitations when trying to handle North Korea’s provocations. These failed attempts at handling the situation have also included leveraging China’s influence as Pyongyang’s only major ally to rectify its antics with nuclear weaponry.
North Korea has already conducted two missile tests just off the coast of Japan this year, with analysts implying that one of these missiles was capable of reaching the United States. As a result of continued tests, the U.N. Security Council placed sanctions against North Korea this past Saturday.
As National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster stated, President Trump is “not going to tolerate North Korea being able to threaten the United States.”
In the past, Pyongyang repeatedly vowed to bring justice on the U.S. for sanctions placed against them, and has been heavily aggressive towards causes meant to suppress its nuclear and missile research initiatives. Once the newest sanctions were announced by the U.N., North Korea has expressed its anger by stating that it would inflict “thousands-fold” revenge on the U.S.
Although it is unclear how exactly the U.S. intends to respond to North Korea’s recent antics, it is clear that preparations are being made. Just days after the Koreans tested their missiles, the U.S. followed suit in their own experiments as well.
There is concern for brashness however, as a Democratic Aide and former Senior official of the CIA previously mentioned to NBC News, that they feared the U.S. would entertain a low-scale preemptive strike on North Korea.
Featured Image: twitter
