US urges Latin American Nations to cut ties with North Korea

United States Vice-President Mike Pence on 16 August requested Latin American nations to cut ties with North Korea in an attempt to halt nation's development of nuclear missiles.

As per media reports, Pence in a speech following a meeting with Chile President Michelle Bachalet on Wednesday said, "The United States places great importance on the ongoing isolation of the Kim [Jong Un] regime and we strongly urged Chile today, and we urge Brazil, Mexico and Peru to break all diplomatic and commercial ties to North Korea."

"The U.S will continue to bring the full range of American power until North Korea abandons its nuclear & ballistic missile programs," Pence tweeted.

United States President Donald Trump has hailed North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un's decision of scrapping his plan to attack Guam as a "very wise and well reasoned decision".

Trumps' reaction came as North Korea earlier threatened to attack Guam and other US territories in the Pacific region, saying a strike plan was ready "to put into practise in a multi-current and consecutive way any moment" on Kim's instruction.
However, Kim later on decided not to launch an attack but warned he could change his mind.

Guam is home to a US military base that includes a submarine squadron, an airbase and a coastguard group and is armed with the U.S. Army's missile defense system known as Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, the same system recently installed in South Korea.

Trump had earlier reiterated his bellicose rhetoric on North Korea and warned Kim Jong Un that if any of the U.S. territory is attacked, he "will truly regret it."

He also issued a warning to North Korea on Friday, saying that the US military is 'locked and loaded' to deal with any provocation from Pyongyang.

"Military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely. Hopefully, Kim Jong Un will find another path!," Trump tweeted.

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis had also warned North Korea to stop any action that would lead to the collapse of Kim Jong-Un's regime.

"The DPRK (North Korea) should cease any consideration of actions that would lead to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people," Mattis said in a statement.

After issuing an ultimatum to North Korea for threatening the United States, President Donald Trump, earlier, in a series of tweets, said that the U.S. nuclear arsenal is now "far stronger and more powerful than ever before."

President Trump also touted the strength of the country's nuclear arsenal and expressed hope that the U.S. would not have to use this "power," but remained confident in the strength of the country.

Trump has also tried to leverage China, Pyongyang's only major ally, to get the country to change its behaviour. 

-ANI