War with North Korea Comes Closer as US Says Ready
War with North Korea Comes Closer as US Says Ready

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Fears are growing of a total war with North Korea over its threat of a “Christmas surprise” for the US, with Washington saying it is well prepared to respond. War with North Korea comes closer as Pyongyang has promised a possible “Christmas surprise” missile test if Washington does not come to […]

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Fears are growing of a total war with North Korea over its threat of a “Christmas surprise” for the US, with Washington saying it is well prepared to respond.

War with North Korea comes closer as Pyongyang has promised a possible “Christmas surprise” missile test if Washington does not come to the negotiating table, noting it would not give in to the US’ pressure since it already has “nothing to lose.”

In response, US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said at a press conference Friday that the United States was ready “to fight tonight.”

The Pentagon chief, however, said, “I remain hopeful that we could get the process started again and remain on the diplomatic path.”

Meanwhile, General Mark Milley, who was next to Esper, said, the US alliance with Japan and South Korea is “rock-solid,” noting, “I think it’s prepared to defend the interests of the United States, Japan, and South Korea at a moment’s notice.”

Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, went on to say that “North Korea has indicated a variety of things. And I think you’re aware of all those. So we are prepared for whatever.”

“Korea is one of those places in the world where we’ve always maintained high levels of readiness.”

The negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang have been largely stalled since the collapse of a February summit in Hanoi between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The North Korean leader and Trump have already held two official meetings on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. However, their first meeting, the Singapore Summit held in June 2018, concluded with a broadly-worded agreement, and the second one, the Hanoi Summit, held in February, collapsed without an agreement.

The North has been under multiple rounds of harsh sanctions by the UN and the US over its nuclear and missile programs.

In spite of those sanctions, Pyongyang has taken several unilateral steps to show its goodwill, including demolishing at least one nuclear test site and agreeing to allow international inspectors into a missile engine test facility.

  • source : FNA, Iran News
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