News / Military

US-North Korea nuclear war ‘closer than ever’: Ex-US military chief

Sunday, 31 December 2017 7:08 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 01 January 2018 4:45 AM ]

A North Korean Hwasong-15 long-range ballistic missile, which is reportedly capable of reaching all parts of the US, is test-launched from an undisclosed location, November 29, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

The United States and North Korea are closer than ever to a nuclear war over Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear weapons program, warns a former chief of the US military.

Retired Admiral Mike Mullen, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told ABC News on Sunday that resolving the standoff between Washington and Pyongyang through diplomacy was not going to be an easy job.

"We're actually closer in my view to a nuclear war with North Korea and in that region than we've ever been," he said.

"I don't see the opportunities how to solve this diplomatically at this particular point," he added.

A file photo of retired US admiral Mike Mullen, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

At the peak of the conflict earlier this year, US President Donald Trump stated that he would use “fire and fury” to “totally destroy North Korea,” referring to the country’s leader Kim Jong-un as a “madman” and “little rocket man.”

Threatening to destroy the US Pacific territory of Guam, the Korean leader hit back by calling Trump a “dotard.”

After its failure to stop the North’s frequent test-launches of ballistic missiles, Washington stepped up military drills off the Korean Peninsula. American military forces even simulated capturing North Korea’s nuclear weapons in one of the war games, which involved troops from Japan and South Korea as well.

PressTV-US commandos 'simulated stealing' N Korean nukes

A number of US troops have trained for a mission to capture North Korea’s nuclear weapons.

North Korean leaders have denounced the joint military activities as rehearsals for an invasion but the US and the South insist that they are defensive in nature.

Mullen said the future of the conflict depended largely on China’s actions as North Korea’s closest ally, which has been under pressure from Trump to increase economic pressure on Pyongyang.

“Well I think President Trump has made China move more than they have in the past. Whether they will continue to do that, to help resolve this, is the open question,” Mullen said. “And I think a real measure of how this all comes out is whether China is going to commit to a peaceful resolution here.”

After being hit with yet another round of economic sanctions by the United Nations Security Council, North Korea said the move amounted to an “act of war.”

Following the UNSC resolution, which was drafted by the US, Trump tweeted, “The World wants Peace, not Death!”

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