The US State Department confirmed on Tuesday that the Trump administration remains committed to the “complete denuclearisation” of North Korea after the US struck key nuclear sites in Iran over the weekend.
State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce responded to a question about whether Pyongyang had any lessons to learn from the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“President Trump has taken significant steps toward engagement with North Korea during his first term. And what I can say, of course… They have their own nuclear programme in North Korea, and we remain committed to the complete denuclearisation of North Korea, that remains our commitment. If the North Korean nuclear issue cannot be resolved through dialogue… I’m not going to speculate at this point.”
On Saturday, President Donald Trump announced that the United States had carried out precision strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan in a military operation that he said destroyed the Islamic Republic’s uranium enrichment facilities. This move comes as Pyongyang continues to double down on its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, despite the Trump administration’s desire for denuclearisation.
Earlier, Trump promised to resume relations with North Korea and Kim Jong Un, noting that this was a “great asset” for the whole world. During his first presidential term, Trump met with Kim Jong Un three times in person. In particular, in June 2019, the leaders met in the demilitarised zone on the border between North and South Korea. Trump became the first American president to set foot on North Korean territory.
