News / Interviews

US war with North Korea can rapidly escalate: Analyst

Wednesday, 13 December 2017 7:00 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 13 December 2017 7:01 PM ]

interview

A US war against North Korea can rapidly escalate, destroying South Korea, Japan and maybe parts of the United States, an analyst says.

"I think normalization in relations, ending this war of words, ending these threatening gestures with over-flights of warplanes and sending warship after warship into waters around North Korea is absolute insanity and a way to bring about another war, which the United States does not need, and the rest of the world does not need because it can rapidly escalate, destroying South Korea and Japan, and maybe parts of the United States.” said J. Michael Springmann, a former US diplomat in Saudi Arabia.

“I find that the change in viewpoint from the United States Department of States’ side regarding North Korea offering to negotiate and discuss the issue without preconditions is amazingly good. It’s especially astounding in the fact that the Trump administration is so irrational and so changeable and has in fact made such a mess out of the things in the Middle East with giving al-Quds Jerusalem to Israel and making common cause with Israel against Palestine and the rest of the Arab and Muslim world,” Springmann told Press TV on Wednesday.

On Monday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson offered to engage in unconditional talks with the North.

Tensions have been building on the peninsula following a series of nuclear and missile tests by Pyongyang as well as threats of war and personal insults traded between US President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader.

In late November, Pyongyang successfully test-launched what American military experts called a Hwasong-15 ICBM, the largest North Korean missile tested to date with a presumably long-enough range to deliver nuclear warheads deep into the US mainland.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said that he will turn his country into the "world's strongest nuclear power."

According to North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, Kim made the remarks while addressing workers behind the north's latest missile test on Tuesday, adding that Pyongyang "will victoriously advance and leap as the strongest nuclear power and military power in the world."

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir