Trump goes nuclear
US threatens ‘fire and fury’ as North Korea eyes Guam strike
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump issued an apocalyptic warning to North Korea yesterday, saying it faced “fire and fury” over its missile program, after it was reported Pyongyang had successfully miniaturised a nuclear warhead.
Hours later North Korea raised the stakes, saying it was considering missile strikes near US strategic military installations on the Pacific island of Guam.
Once finalised, the plan could be put into action at “any moment” once leader Kim Jong-un made a decision, the official Korean Central News Agency said.
Mr Trump’s remarks marked a sharp rise in rhetoric from the US – and appeared to echo Pyongyang’s own regular threats, most recently to turn Seoul into a “sea of flames”.
“North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States,” Mr Trump said at his golf club in New Jersey.
“They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.”
His warning came hours after reports indicating North Korea could arm its missiles – including those that may be able to hit the US mainland – with nuclear warheads.
North Korea said it would examine its operational plans for attacking Guam, a US territory about 3400km away. It spoke of creating an “enveloping fire” in areas around Guam – home to the Andersen Air Force Base – with medium- to long-range ballistic missiles to contain US military activity.
Although it wasn’t clear if Mr Trump and the Koreans were responding directly to each other, the heightened rhetoric added to the potential for a miscalculation that might bring the nuclear-armed nations into conflict.
The Trump administration considers North Korea to be America’s greatest national security threat and tensions have steadily escalated this year.
Pyongyang responded angrily to the UN Security Council’s adoption on the weekend of tougher sanctions spearheaded by Washington.
The sanctions followed tests last month that showed the North could potentially reach the continental US with its missiles. The newly revealed US intelligence assessment indicated those missiles could carry nuclear warheads.