US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has defended US President Donald Trump’s threats against North Korea.
The US envoy appeared on CNN Sunday, asserting that the president’s "fire and fury" comment about North Korea's nuclear program last month is serious.
Haley clearly stated that if diplomacy with Pyongyang fails then US Secretary of Defense James Mattis will be the one to follow Trump’s agenda.
"We wanted to be responsible and go through all diplomatic means to get their attention first," Haley said. "If that doesn't work, General Mattis will take care of it."
She further warned that the recluse nation will not be able to survive in the wake of ta US attack.
"If North Korea keeps on with this reckless behavior, if the United States has to defend itself or defend its allies in any way, North Korea will be destroyed," Haley said. "And we all know that, and none of us want that."
With pressure stepping up, last Monday the United Nations Security Council imposed new sanctions against the Asian state, a measure dismissed by Trump but highlighted by Haley.
"We have pretty much exhausted all the things that we could do at the Security Council at this point," she said of the measure, which the president had called "another very small step."
Another official with the Trump administration, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, also appeared on CBS to highlight the point.
"If our diplomatic efforts fail though, our military option will be the only one left," he said. "To be clear, we seek a peaceful solution to this," said Tillerson (pictured above).
Earlier this month, North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan and into the Pacific on Friday. The missile flew over Hokkaido in the north and landed in the Pacific about 2,000 kilometers to the east.
North Korea has often announced it needs its nuclear and missile development program as a deterrent against expansionist policies of the US and its allies.
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