President in warning on protest violence
IRAN President Hassan Rouhani said that government bodies must provide “space for criticism” as he sought to head off days of unrest, but also warned protesters that violence was unacceptable.
Hundreds of protesters marched through Tehran and other cities in a fourth day of demonstrations as authorities cut access to social media.
Mr Rouhani finally broke climate exists out there in that uncertainty with how this all ends up,” Admiral Mullen said on ABC’s This Week.
“We’re actually closer, in my view, to a nuclear war with North Korea and in that region than we have ever been.
“I don’t see the opportunities to solve this diplomatically at this particular point.”
Admiral Mullen, who served as the top US military adviser to presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, questioned whether Mr Trump could be constrained by US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster or White House chief of staff John Kelly.
“Will he follow through on his rhetoric? Or will we actually be able to get to a situation where it could be solved peacefully?” he said.
“I’m just more inclined to see over time that the rhetoric seems to be where the president is, and that will limit the constraining ability that both Jim Mattis and H.R. McMaster and John Kelly have.”
Mr Trump warned in a speech to the UN General Assembly in September that the US “will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea” if forced to defend itself or its allies.
Meanwhile, in his New Year’s address, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said his country had “completed” its nuclear forces and could hit anywhere on the US mainland.
“The entire area of the US mainland is within our nuclear strike range . . . The US can never start a war against me and our country,” Mr Kim said.
“The US should know that the button for nuclear weapons is on my table.”
Mr Kim, wearing a Western-style grey suit and tie, also called for improved relations with the South and wished them success for the Winter Olympics set to start next month.