10 August 2017

News Report: McCain Threatens North Korea After Expressing 'Concerns' Over Trump Rhetoric

US Senator John McCain (Image: Wiki Commons)
US Senator John McCain during a live Facebook stream on Wednesday, while expressing concerns over President Donald Trump’s recent statement on North Korea, called for a military buildup to intimidate the country’s leadership.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — In the very same Facebook live stream video, McCain then said that the United States must "accelerate capabilities of missile defense… to make sure Kim Jung-un knows the price of any attack is going to be far higher than any benefit he may gain from it."

"I’m very concerned about the level of rhetoric that President Trump employed concerning North Korea… I hope that the president would be very careful in what his language is and what he threatens," McCain said.

On Tuesday, Trump warned North Korea it would face "fire and fury" if it threatened the United States again — comments lawmakers on both sides of the aisle felt were provocative. Following Trump's statement, North Korea said it was considering missile strikes against the western Pacific island of Guam, where multiple US military bases are located.

McCain added that Trump should exhaust the option of pressing China to take action against North Korea to persuade the regime to halt its nuclear weapons ambitions.

Military action against North Korea would be complicated due to its close proximity with South Korea, McCain said.

North Korea has artillery pieces embedded in caves near the border with South Korea that are capable of reaching Seoul before US forces are able to take them out, according to the senator.

Earlier on Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis urged Pyongyang to cease any actions that would other lead "to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people."

On Saturday, North Korean leader Kim Jung-un threatened to take decisive steps against the United States, including "physical action," after the UN Security Council passed new economic sanctions against his country.

This story first appeared on Sputnik & is reposted here with permission.