General H. R. McMaster fired the threat at Kim Jong-un after the despot reminded the USA that the “nuclear button is always on my desk”.
The National Security Advisor said: “If sanctions don’t work what we have to do is prepare for a broad range of options for the President.
“And those include military options, and we’ve made no secret about that.”
Some had suggested that despite the nuclear threat at the end of his New Year’s address Kim Jong-un may have been manoeuvring himself to enter into peace talks.
The despot called for talks with South Korea ahead of them hosting the 2018 Winter Olympics and suggested that athletes from the hermit kingdom could take part.
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The dictator said: “This year marks the 70th anniversary of the North Korean regime’s establishment, and the South will host the Winter Games. This year holds significance for the two Koreas.
”The Winter Games to be held in South Korea will be a good occasion for the country. We sincerely hope that the Winter Olympics will be a success.
“We have the readiness to take various steps, including the dispatch of the delegation.”
However, any suggestion that Kim was calling for peace were shot down by the US military chief.
Gen McMaster said: “Anybody who thought that speech was reassuring was drinking too much champagne over the holidays.”
Kim’s annual New Year’s address came to a chilling conclusion has he warned that he has the ability to hit the “entire United States” with nuclear weapons.
And called for his country to “mass-produce warheads and ballistic missiles”.
The warning that sanctions may fail came after a Chinese ship was seized by South Korea accused of supply oil illegally to Kim Jong-un’s regime.
A Russian ship was also accused of supply fuel to North Korea in secret mid-sea exchanges caught by satellites.
The seizure of a second ship by South Korean authorities was also revealed.
A customs official said The Panama-flagged tanker, KOTI, was seized at Pyeongtaek-Dangjin port, on the west coast.
A foreign ministry spokesman confirmed that an investigation was underway.
He said: “The government has been in close consultations with related countries and ministries to thoroughly implement the sanctions by the UN security council.”
On Thursday, China blocked a US effort at the United Nations to blacklist six foreign-flagged ships, a UN Security Council diplomat said.
China’s Foreign Ministry, responding to a question from Reuters on the blocking, said Beijing always fully and strictly implemented Security Council resolutions.