North Korean threats: US may need to consider military options, says John Bolton

John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., says the United States may have to consider using military options in order to strip North Korea of its nuclear capabilities.

On Tuesday, the Hermit Kingdom launched a ballistic missile over the territory of Japan and into the Pacific Ocean.

“This should be the end of Secretary Tillerson and the State Department saying ‘let’s negotiate with North Korea.’ I think we have limited diplomatic options left and therefore I think we have to look hard at the military option to take away North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile capability,” he told FOX Business’ Trish Regan on The Intelligence Report.

North Korea also threatened to attack the U.S. territory of Guam in recent weeks, which prompted President Trump to respond, saying the United States military was “locked and loaded” if the communist regime acted unwisely.

“This missile’s range was roughly long enough to hit Guam, U.S. territory, which they were warned against. I think in fact they pointed the missile in the other direction so as to avoid the Guam problem,” Bolton said.

Bolton also said President Trump needs to do whatever it takes to protect the U.S. population from nuclear threats.

“What’s the job of the president? It’s to protect American citizens from nuclear blackmail by rogue regimes and that is the prospect we face perhaps in a year from now, perhaps less but whenever that point is forever.”