The U. S. director of national intelligence warned on Tuesday that time was running out for the United States to act on the threat posed by North Korea’s nu
WASHINGTON – The U. S. director of national intelligence warned on Tuesday that time was running out for the United States to act on the threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
North Korea presents “a potentially existential” threat to the United States and is likely to conduct more weapons tests this year, Dan Coats said at the Senate Intelligence Committee’s annual hearing on “Worldwide Threats.”
“Decision time is becoming ever closer in terms of how we respond to this,” Coats said. “Our goal is a peaceful settlement. We are using maximum pressure on North Korea in various ways.”
The warning came despite an easing of tensions on the Korean Peninsula after talks resumed between North and South Korea, and as the North participated in the Winter Olympics hosted by the South.
While the Trump administration has stressed its preference for a diplomatic solution to the crisis over North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons that are capable of hitting the United States, it has warned that all options on are on the table, including military ones, to prevent this.
Last month, CIA Director Mike Pompeo said North Korea could be only “a handful of months” away from being able to make a nuclear attack on the United States.
