N Korea cant strike US

Secretary of Defense James Mattis said Friday he does not believe that North Korea's current intercontinental ballistic missiles are capable of hitting the continental US.

North Korea's November ICBM "has not yet shown to be a capable threat against us right now," Mattis said during an off-camera briefing with reporters at the Pentagon on Friday. He added that the United States is still assessing the situation. "We are still examining the forensics, we're still doing the forensics analysis, it takes a while," he said.

Pyongyang tested a new missile on November 28 that flew higher and farther than any previous launch, and bragged afterward that its new Hwasong-15 could deliver nuclear warheads anywhere in the US.

His assessment Friday was in line with technical analysts who say that North Korea's November launch didn't actually demonstrate an ability to hit the US or that it is making advances on the technical challenges required for a successful, operational ICBM.

Mattis said analysis from the most recent North Korean missile test is ongoing, and he reiterated that the diplomatic track being led by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is still the administration's leading policy when it comes to Pyongyang.

Tillerson spoke at a special meeting of the UN Security Council Friday, urging tougher international action to rein in Pyongyang and confronting North Korea's ambassador to the UN over his claims that the US is to blame for tensions on the Korean peninsula.

"North Korea must earn its way back to the table," he said. "The pressure campaign must and will continue until denuclearization is achieved."

"We will, in the meantime, keep our channels of communication open."

Tillerson repeated that "we do not seek, nor do we want, war with North Korea."

Tillerson said the US would require Pyongyang to achieve a period of quiet before the US would engage in talks, clarifying confusion created earlier in the week when he said he would talk without preconditions if North Korea was willing. That comment drew pushback from the White House.

Meanwhile, a report yesterday said Japan is planning a record $46 billion defence budget for the next fiscal year to strengthen its missile defence against the threat posed by North Korea.

It will mark the sixth straight year of increases in defence outlays, topping the 5.12 trillion yen budget for the current fiscal year, the business daily Nikkei said.

Mattis also said he does not see the need for a stepped-up military posture against Iran, the day after a top diplomat said evidence shows Tehran is supporting Huthi rebels in Yemen.