As a practical matter, Trump's comment does not necessarily indicate a specific change in military readiness or any imminent action. Even without nuclear weapons, North Korea has an array of conventional artillery that analysts have said could lay waste to Seoul and other parts of South Korea if war were to start. Trump this week vowed to rain "fire and fury like the world has never seen" down on North Korea if it threatened the US. After critics in both parties called that sort of language excessive and reckless, Trump doubled down yesterday by saying that "if anything, maybe that statement wasn't tough enough". Rejecting critics at home and abroad who condemned his earlier warning as reckless saber-rattling, Trump said North Korea and Kim Jong Un, have pushed the US and the rest of the world for too long.

Source: The Telegraph August 11, 2017 21:11 UTC