North Korea has carried out another test of a rocket engine that the United States believes could be part of its program to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile, a US official told Reuters. The United States assessed that the test, the latest in a series of engine and missile tests this year, could be for the smallest stage of an ICBM rocket engine, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. US President Donald Trump has warned that a “major, major conflict” with North Korea is possible over its weapons programs, although US officials say tougher sanctions, not military force, are the preferred option. The continental United States is around 9,000 km from North Korea. Any military solution to the North Korea crisis would be “tragic on an unbelievable scale”, Trump’s defense secretary, Jim Mattis, said last month.

Source: Hindustan Times June 23, 2017 04:07 UTC