Vladimir Putin used his annual state of the nation address to boast that Russia has developed “invincible” nuclear weapons that can “reach anywhere in the world.” Speaking in Moscow 17 days before an election that he’s expected to win convincingly, the Russian president on Thursday unveiled a weapon that he said could not be stopped…
North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile on Tuesday that flew to a height of 2,800 miles, higher than any of its previous tests. If aimed at a standard trajectory, the ICBM would have a range of more than 8,100 miles, or “more than enough range to reach Washington, D.C.,” says David Wright at the…
A tunnel at a North Korean nuclear test site collapsed this month and killed an estimated 200 people, according to multiple reports. The cave-in at the Punggye-ri nuclear facility initially trapped 100 people underground. Another 100 were killed during an unsuccessful rescue operation when an additional section of the tunnel fell, according to Japanese TV…
On Friday, President Trump will largely wash his hands of the nuclear deal reached with Iran, Russia, China, and three European countries, according to a summary released by the White House late Thursday. Trump has long railed against the deal, grudgingly certifying Iran’s compliance two times, and by announcing he is neither certifying it again…
At the July 20 meeting in the Pentagon that reportedly prompted Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to call President Trump a “moron,” Trump told the assembled military and national security leaders that he wanted “what amounted to a nearly tenfold increase in the U.S. nuclear arsenal,” NBC News reported Wednesday, citing “three officials who were…
North Korea fired another missile on Friday, its 15th test this year, according to South Korea’s military. Like its last test, on Aug. 28, the projectile flew over Japan. The Japanese government issued an alert via TV and cellphones, warning people to take shelter. Japan said the missile landed in the sea 1,200 miles east…
U.S. envoy Nikki Haley says North Korean leader ‘begging for war’ as U.N. mulls sanctions. The United States on Monday said countries trading with North Korea were aiding its “dangerous nuclear intentions” as the United Nations Security Council mulled tough new sanctions and the isolated regime showed signs of planning more missile tests. South Korea…
Hours after President Trump suggested on Twitter on Wednesday morning that he is uninterested in using diplomacy to ease tensions with North Korea, his own defense secretary rebuked him. “The U.S. has been talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 year,” the president tweeted. “Talking is not the answer!” In direct…
North Korea says the missile launch it carried out Tuesday was meant as a “prelude” to military operations against the U.S. territory of Guam. Shortly after the United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting over the latest missile launch, Pyongyang’s state media Wednesday described the launch as “the first step of the military operation…
President Trump released a statement Tuesday responding to North Korea’s missile launch over Japan, noting that “all options are on the table.” The missiles passed over northern Japan and landed in the ocean, according to several reports. “The world has received North Korea’s latest message loud and clear: This regime has signaled its contempt for…
Iran is prepared to quit its nuclear deal with world powers “within hours” if new sanctions are imposed by the United States, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday. “If America wants to go back to the experience (of imposing sanctions), Iran would certainly return in a short time–not a week or a month but within…
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, after being briefed by top military commanders, decided on Tuesday not to fire four missiles at Guam right away, North Korean state media reported, but said he’d likely change his mind if the “Yankees persist in their extremely dangerous, reckless actions on the Korean Peninsula.” Tensions have been high…
North Korea’s rapid missile-program improvements can likely be traced back to a black-market factory that used to produce the Soviet Union’s most deadly weaponry, according to a new report and classified assessments by U.S. intel agencies. It is not believed that North Korea could have made such big leaps forward in their nuclear-weapons program without…
President Trump used Twitter Friday morning to warn that the U.S. is ready to go to war with North Korea. “Military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely,” he wrote. “Hopefully Kim Jong Un will find another path!” Meanwhile, the United States and South Korea are preparing to…
North Korea on Thursday dismissed President Trump’s warning that the U.S. would unleash “fire and fury” on the communist-run nation if Pyongyang continued to threaten America, saying Trump’s statement was a “load of nonsense.” North Korea said it was finalizing a plan to fire four missiles over Japan into waters around the tiny Pacific island…
During a scheduled refueling stop in Guam on Wednesday, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told Americans that there is not thought to be “any imminent threat” from North Korea. “Americans should sleep well at night,” Tillerson added in a calm contrast to President Trump’s threat of raining “fire and fury” down on North Korea on…
North Korea said it was “carefully examining” the possibility of launching a pre-emptive strike on the U.S. territory of Guam, just hours after President Trump said further threats from the rogue regime would be “met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.” Trump’s comments came following reports that the North Korean military…
President Donald Trump issued an extraordinary ultimatum to North Korea on Tuesday warning Pyongyang not to make any more threats against the United States or they will “face fire and fury like the world has never seen,” during a photo op at the Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey. “North Korea best not make…
North Korea can successfully produce miniaturized nuclear warheads that can be attached to ballistic missiles, according to U.S. intelligence officials, The Washington Post reported Monday. The development marks an important step in the country’s ability to become a full-fledged nuclear power. The U.S. calculated that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un now has up to 60…
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho warned the United States in a statement Monday that Pyongyang “is ready to teach the U.S a severe lesson with its nuclear strategic force” if attacked. Ri added that other countries are safe from nuclear retaliation so long as they do not join the U.S. in an attack.…
North Korea on Monday threatened the U.S. with “thousands-fold” revenge for tough new U.S.-drafted sanctions approved by the United Nations Security Council over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs. President Trump said Sunday night that he spoke with South Korean President Moon Jae-in about the sanctions, approved Saturday. Trump tweeted the pair were “very happy and…
President Trump attacked North Korea after its recent intercontinental ballistic missile test, claiming the rogue state was “behaving in a very, very dangerous manner.” Speaking at a news conference in Poland, he said: “It’s a shame they’re behaving this way—they’re behaving in a very, very dangerous manner and something will have to be done about…
On Tuesday, North Korea said it has successfully launched an intercontinental ballistic missile, calling it the “final step” in making the country a “confident and powerful nuclear state that can strike anywhere on Earth.” In response, the United States and South Korea conducted a joint ballistic missile drill to demonstrate “precision firing” capabilities, the U.S.…
President Trump pressed Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday to do more to help confront the “growing threat” of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. The high-stakes phone call came after a tense week in which Beijing expressed anger over the Trump administration’s arms sale to Taiwan, which China considers one of its provinces. Trump also…
President Trump on Monday tweeted in outrage that North Korea showed “great disrespect” to China by conducting another ballistic missile test over the weekend. Trump wrote, “North Korea has shown great disrespect for their neighbor, China, by shooting off yet another ballistic missile…but China is trying hard!” Late on Sunday, U.S. Pacific Command said it…
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered Sunday’s launch of a new medium-range missile, and after it was deemed a success, he “approved the deployment of this weapon system for action” and called for it to be “rapidly mass-produced,” North Korean state media said. The Pukguksong-2 missile traveled for about 310 miles, reaching a height…
North Korea’s ballistic rocket test Sunday was “aimed at verifying the tactical and technological specifications” of a newly developed missile “capable of carrying a large-size heavy nuclear warhead,” the country’s official KCNA news agency said Monday. The launch was supervised by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, KCNA said, and the missile flew about 430…
A tunnel inside a decomissioned nuclear production site in in Hanford, Washington, collapsed on Tuesday. Employees were ordered to take cover over fears the collapse might have released radioactive material, but a state official told the Associated Press that radiation had not been released and there were no injuries. The Department of Energy previously said…
In an interview with Reuters on Thursday, President Trump said “there is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea,” but he is hopeful that the U.S. can find other ways to work with the country regarding its nuclear and missile programs. “We’d love to solve things diplomatically,…
The U.S. military on Wednesday started moving parts of a controversial missile defense system to a site in South Korea where it will be installed to help protect against threats from North Korea, as tensions rise over Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear weapons programs. Hundreds of local residents protested against the construction of the system, known…
