Trump warns 'fire and fury' for DPRK over US threats

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‍- Trump warns "fire and fury" for DPRK if it threatens US

- Pyongyang said ready to give Washington a "severe lesson"

- DPRK possibly already has miniaturized nuclear arms

US President Donald Trump warned Pyongyang on Tuesday against making any further threats against the United States.

"DPRK best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen," Trump told reporters at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

As tensions escalated, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said it was "carefully examining" a plan to strike Guam, in the western Pacific Ocean, which is the site of several US military bases.

US President Donald Trump speaks about DPRK during a press briefing at Trump's golf estate in Bedminster, New Jersey, August 8, 2017. /Reuters Photo

A DPRK military spokesman, in a statement carried by state-run KCNA news agency, said the plan would be put into practice once leader Kim Jong Un makes a decision.

In another statement citing a different military spokesman, DPRK said it could carry out a pre-emptive operation if there were signs of a US provocation.

Washington has warned it is ready to use force if it's needed to stop DPRK's ballistic missile and nuclear programs, but that it prefers global diplomatic action, including sanctions.

The consequences of any US strike would potentially be catastrophic not only for people in the DPRK but also South Korea, Japan and the thousands of US military personnel within the range of any DPRK retaliatory strikes.

The UN Security Council unanimously imposed new sanctions on Pyongyang on Saturday over its continued missile tests, that could slash the country's 3 billion US dollars annual export revenue by a third.

The Congresswoman for the US Pacific territory of Guam on Wednesday said she was confident US forces could protect it from the "deeply troubling" DPRK's nuclear threat.

Madeleine Z. Bordallo called on President Trump to show "steady leadership" and work with the international community to de-escalate tensions and stop Pyongyang from advancing its weapons program.

"Guam remains safe, and I am confident in the ability of US defenses to protect our island and allies in the region," Bordallo said in a statement.

Pyongyang has made no secret of plans to develop a nuclear-tipped missile able to strike the United States and has ignored international calls to halt its nuclear and missile programs.

It says its intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) are a legitimate means of defense against perceived US hostility.

It has long accused the United States and South Korea of escalating tensions by conducting military drills.

Tension rise

DPRK missiles are displayed during a military parade past Kim Il Sung square in Pyongyang, January 6, 2016. /AFP Photo

Tensions have risen since DPRK carried out two nuclear bomb tests last year and two ICBM tests last month.

Republican US Senator John McCain said President Trump should tread cautiously when issuing threats to DPRK unless he is prepared to act.

"I take exception to the president’s comments because you got to be sure you can do what you say you’re going to do,” he said in a radio interview.

The Trump administration's attempts to pressure DPRK into abandoning its nuclear and missile ambitions have so far gained little traction.

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has warned of an "effective and overwhelming" response against DPRK if it choses to use nuclear weapons but has said any military solution would be "tragic on an unbelievable scale."

The United States has 28,500 troops in South Korea to guard against the threat from the north. Japan hosts around 54,000 US military personnel, the US Department of Defense says, and tens of thousands of Americans work in both countries.

Seoul is home to a population of roughly 10 million, within range of massed pre-targeted DPRK's rockets and artillery deployed along the border, which would be impossible to destroy in a first US strike.

The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that Pyongyang has successfully produced a miniaturized nuclear warhead that can fit inside its missiles, according to a confidential US intelligence assessment.

But US intelligence officials said there is no reliable evidence it has mastered all three – an ICBM, a miniaturized nuclear warhead and a nosecone robust, much less tested and combined them into a weapon capable of hitting targets in the United States.

US intelligence officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said there is no certainty about the number of nuclear warheads DPRK has assembled, with estimates ranging from 20 to as many as 60 and most experts leaning toward the lower end of that range.

DPRK's ICBM tests last month suggested it was making technical progress, Japan's annual Defence White Paper warned.

Source(s): Reuters