North Korea has slammed the United Nations leadership over what it described as "double standards" exercised by the international organization in pursuing its nuclear obligations in order to maintain global peace and stability.
North Korea's missile and nuclear program was recently described by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as a "clear and present danger, driving risks and geopolitical tensions to new heights."
Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Pyongyang's official state media, released a statement on Saturday by Jo Chol Su, a senior official in North Korea's foreign ministry, in which he criticized Guterres for having "typical double standards."
The senior official said by exercising double standards the UN chief was committing the "dangerous act of destroying the trust of the world community in the UN."
Jo rebuked Guterres for ignoring the "reckless arms buildup" by the United States that was "constantly bringing all sorts of nuclear strike means to the Korean peninsula and the region."
In his statement, Jo also accused Japan of having "no moral and legal qualification" to be part of the UN Security Council because of its wartime and colonial past.
The senior North Korean Foreign Ministry official reiterated that his country will never give up its nuclear arsenal, which Pyongyang sees as a deterrent force for purely defensive purposes against the nation’s enemies.
Jo's comments came after the United States on Friday praised Tokyo for its new hawkish military stance.....more below
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is preparing to leave the Trump administration after what a new report has described as months of tension with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, potentially triggering another change at the army’s top echelons.
According to the Friday report by The Wall Street Journal, Driscoll is expected to step down before the end of the year and could leave his post earlier. The newspaper cited people familiar with discussions over his departure.
The Journal reported that Driscoll and his family vacated the official residence assigned to the army secretary at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall this summer, a move that could indicate he was preparing to leave the position.
The reported departure would come at a time of continuing uncertainty at the top echelons of the army.
Hegseth abruptly removed Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George in April, while Trump has not yet nominated a permanent successo....more below
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The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warns the enemies that any act of aggression against the Islamic Republic will not go unanswered.
In a statement on Thursday, the IRGC issued a “stern warning” to the enemies after US forces launched strikes against the southern Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas.
Following the US military attack on a point on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport with aerial projectiles, the IRGC carried out new strikes targeting the US air base from which the attack originated in the wee hours of Thursday, it added.
“This response is a serious warning to the enemy that they should know the act of aggression will not go unanswered,” the IRGC emphasized.
The elite military force warned of a “more decisive” response if the enemy repeated any act of aggression.
It also said the responsibility for the consequences of any IRGC response lies with the aggressor.
The statement comes after the IRGC Navy on Thursday forced an American tanker to turn back. The tanker ...
