3 URGE NORTH KOREA TO CEASE ‘IRRESPONSIBLE’ PROVOCATIONS
SEOUL - Senior defence officials from the United States, South Korea and Japan held trilateral talks and urged North Korea to walk away from its “destructive and reckless path” of weapons development, the U.S. military said in a statement.
Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford hosted his South Korean and Japanese counterparts at the U.S. Pacific Command headquarters in Hawaii on Sunday to exchange views on North Korea’s recent long-range ballistic missile and nuclear tests.
“Together they called upon North Korea to refrain from irresponsible provocations that aggravate regional tensions, and to walk away from its destructive and reckless path of development,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Iran says it will continue to produce missiles for its defence and does not consider that a violation of international accords.
President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday in a speech broadcast on state television: “We have built, are building and will continue to build missiles, and this violates no international agreements.”
Rouhani spoke days after the U.S. House of Representatives voted for new sanctions against Iran’s ballistic missile programme, part of an effort to clamp down on Tehran without immediately moving to undermine an international nuclear agreement.