Ah, dear Sher'f (peace to you, my dear friend), so, here's where we "are":
Quote:
(CNN)North Korea could test a powerful nuclear weapon over the Pacific Ocean in response to US President Donald Trump's threats of military action, the country's foreign minister has warned. Ri Yong Ho spoke to reporters in New York shortly after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made an unprecedented televised statement, accusing Trump of being "mentally deranged."
The forceful rhetoric from Pyongyang came after Trump threatened to"totally destroy" North Korea in a speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. Trump tweeted Friday that Kim was "obviously a madman" who would be "tested like never before."
In a rare direct statement delivered straight to camera, Kim said that Trump would "pay dearly" for the threats, and that North Korea "will consider with seriousness exercising of a corresponding, highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history."
"I am now thinking hard about what response he could have expected when he allowed such eccentric words to trip off his tongue," Kim said. "I will surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged US dotard with fire."
Kim said Trump's comments were reflective of "mentally deranged behavior."
Hours later, Kim's foreign minister told reporters in New York that Pyongyang could launch a nuclear missile test in response. "This could probably mean the strongest hydrogen bomb test over the Pacific Ocean. Regarding which measures to take, I don't really know since it is what Kim Jong Un does," said Ri.
Japan's defense minister Itsunori Onodera said the country must ready itself for the sudden escalation in tensions and be prepared for a missile launch. "We cannot deny the possibility it may fly over our country," Onodera said Thursday. Japan has been subject to two North Korean missile test flyovers in recent weeks.
In response, Trump said on Twitter: "Kim Jong Un of North Korea, who is obviously a madman who doesn't mind killing or starving his people, will be tested like never before!"
The phrase "highest level of hard-line countermeasure in history" could be considered an escalation in the choice of language used, said Vipin Narang, a professor of political science at MIT and expert on deterrence and nuclear policy. "This is clearly trying to coerce the US into playing ball," Narang told CNN.
In his first address to the United Nations as US President, Trump said that the US was ready to "totally destroy" North Korea if it was forced to defend its allies, a warning seen as unprecedented for a US president delivering an address to the world's leaders and top diplomats.
Responding to the speech, Kim said Trump's comments amounted to an insult.
"I'd like to advise Trump to exercise prudence in selecting words and to be considerate of whom he speaks to when making a speech in front of the world," Kim said.
A handful of North Korea analysts believe Kim's response -- the first time he has ever released a first-person statement -- could show how personally the young leader took Trump's speech.
"This is unprecedented, as far as we can tell," Narang said. "It's written by him, it's signed by him ... He was clearly offended by the speech, and what concerns me most is the response he says he is considering."
"The message is chilling," Narang said.
Thing is... Trump ALSO "insulted" Iran, who leader fired back:
Quote:
"Not content to sit back and let President Donald Trump hog all the attention at this year’s United Nations General Assembly meeting,
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani took the stage on Wednesday and proceeded to deliver a lengthy speech almost entirely devoted to blasting President Trump.Without actually naming Trump,
Rouhani said that yesterday,
words were spoken in the UN General Assembly that were “hateful” and “unfit to be heard in the UN, which was established to promote peace.” In case there was any confusion as to whom Rouhani was referring, almost simultaneously,
Rouhani’s official Twitter account tweeted using similar language specifically calling out the US president:
Quote:
@HassanRouhani
Ugly, ignorant words were spoken by the US president against the Iranian nation. Full or hatred & baseless allegations and unfit for #UNGA
This comes one day after
Trump used his speech at the UN to slam Iran. He labeled Iran’s government “a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of a democracy” that has “turned a wealthy country, with a rich history and culture into an economically depleted rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed, and chaos.”Trump also sharply criticized the
2015 nuclear deal with Iran, calling it “
one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into” and signaling that he may be considering pulling the US out of the deal soon.
Rouhani in his speech Wednesday
fired back, declaring, “
We are unmoved by threats and intimidation” and stating, "it will be a great pity if this deal is destroyed by rogue newcomers to the world of politics," referring to the Trump administration.
On October 15, Trump will once again have to certify to Congress whether Iran is in compliance with the nuclear deal, an agreement between the US, Iran, and European and Asian powers that lifted a series of punishing economic sanctions in exchange for Tehran accepting strict curbs on its nuclear-related activities. The punishment for Iranian cheating — like operating prohibited technology used to produce nuclear material — is the reimposition of sanctions. So it’s fair to say
the animosity between the two countries couldn’t come at a worse time.
Rouhani also used his speech to distance Iran from its many wrongdoings around the world. He said his government condemns terrorism, dictators, and human rights violators, glossing over inconvenient facts including that Iran is one of the greatest sponsors of terrorism with its support of Hezbollah and other Shia militias in the Middle East; backs the brutal dictator Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian civil war; and regularly commits egregious human rights violations at home.
During a global conference meant to promote peace, t
he comments of Rouhani and Trump put the US and Iran on a more antagonistic path.
What
I wonder is... whether these developments will be what puts
Israel "on notice"... and lead THEM to that pre-emptive strike we've discussed.
Curious times, these.
Peace to you, dear friend!
YSFS of Christ,
Shel