Citing multiple senior US intelligence officials, NBC has reported that the US is preparing to launch a preemptive strike against North Korea should officials become convinced that Kim Jong-Un's hermit kingdom is about to follow through with another nuclear weapons test.
North Korea has issued a warning that a "big event" is about to unfold and US officials have interpreted as a coded message by the reclusive state that it may be planning a nuclear test as early as this weekend.
NBC has also reported that US Navy has positioned two destroyers capable of shooting Tomahawk cruise missiles in the region, one just 300 miles from the North Korean nuclear test site. Additionally, American heavy bombers are also positioned in Guam to attack North Korea should it be necessary.
Just a week after US President Donald Trump met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, the two leaders once again spoke on Wednesday (12th April) and North Korea was one of the key issues that featured in the discussion. Top Chinese nuclear negotiators rushed to Pyongyang to communicate the gravity of the situation to the North Korean officials.
China has already applied enormous economic pressure on the North by refusing to import Pyongyang's coal.
“I really think that China's going to try very hard and has already started. A lot of the coal boats have already been turned back,” President Trump was quoted as Fox Business Network on Wednesday
China and United States have long differed on the possible approach to dealing with North Korea. While China has been advocating a peaceful engagement model, US has been bracing up for a confrontation.