'We are not looking for the total annihilation of North Korea...' James Mattis says President Trump has been briefed on the 'many' military responses available - and hasn't ruled out any of them
Trump has warned that the US could take economic or military action after NK detonated a hydrogen bomb
US President suggested 'stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea'
That was likely a veiled threat towards China - which provides 85 per cent of North Korea's imports
Refusing to do business with China would cause huge damage to US firms including Apple
US and South Korean leaders are now discussing 'military measures' to be taken
North Korea detonated hydrogen bomb sparking powerful 6.3 magnitude quake
Blast directly ordered by Kim Jong-Un and was large enough to destroy a city
South Korea launched a ballistic missile exercise late Sunday in response to the nuclear test
By James Wilkinson and Jenny Stanton and Keith Griffith and Cheyenne Roundtree For Dailymail.com and Scott Campbell For Mailonline
Published: 08:02 EDT, 3 September 2017 | Updated: 19:00 EDT, 3 September 2017
US Secretary of Defense James Mattis has raised the threat of the 'total annihilation' of North Korea in the aftermath of an early morning hydrogen bomb test by North Korea.
In a terse statement outside the White House on Sunday afternoon, Mattis said that Trump had been briefed on each of the 'many military options' available during a meeting with national security heads.
'We made it clear that we have the ability to defend ourselves and our allies, South Korea and Japan, from any attack and that our agreements with our allies are iron-clad,' he said.
'Any threat to the United States or its territories including Guam, or our allies, will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming.'
He urged Kim Jong-Un to 'take heed' of the UN Security Council's 'unified' objection to the test of the 100-kiloton bomb test, which caused a 6.3-magnitude earthquake.
'We are not looking to the total annihilation of a country - namely North Korea,' Mattis concluded, 'but as I said, we have many options to do so.'
He, and Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who had been present but silent throughout, then left without answering any questions. President Trump was not seen during the announcement.
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4848346/Trump-warns-North-Korea-talks-not-work-bomb.html
