US, N. Korea Close to Military Conflict

North Korea has said that it will launch a nuclear weapons test whenever Kim Jong-un sees fit and has accused Donald Trump of “causing trouble”.

The US President is deploying an “armada” into the Sea of Japan in response to Kim’s nuclear threat, and is reportedly assessing a number of military options.

China has warned that the situation is heading down “an irreversible route” as fears grow that World War Three is imminent.

Security experts monitoring the North Korean situation believe the country is primed and ready to test its nuclear device.

Sources believe President Donald Trump is considering the US’ response to Kim Jong-un's nuclear threat. Though no official declaration has been made, Trump could retaliate if the test goes ahead.

The news follows a stark warning from North Korean expert Rudiger Frank, who warned of the consequences of an all-out conflict.

A video has been released allegedly showing mass military mobilization in Vladivostok, Russia – close to the border with North Korea, Express reported.

The Russian government has not confirmed the claims, but the army convoy was spotted by residents of the city.

North Korea has unveiled a new range of missiles during its Day of the Sun military parade today.

The deadly new weapons are submarine-launched ballistic missiles and were showcased for the very first time by the hermit state, news outlets reported.

State TV broadcasts showed the impressive missiles being driven through the capital, accompanied by scores of soldiers.

Celebrations for Kim Jong-un’s grandfather Kim Il-sung, who founded the communist state of North Korea, have begun in Pyongyang.

North Korea's deadly submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) have been unveiled for the first time.

Experts fear Kim Jong-un may launch a nuclear test as part of the celebrations.

Also Air China denies it has cancelled all flights to Pyongyang amid claims China is taking a tough line on North Korea.

The airline says it has suspended some flights to the North Korean capital due to poor demand.

A spokesman for Air China said: “Air China did not stop operation of the Beijing to Pyongyang route, but temporarily cancelled some flights based on the situation of ticket sales.”

China is North Korea's sole major ally but it disapproves of the North's weapons programs, and its confrontations with the United States and its Asian allies, and it has supported UN sanctions against it.

Eelier Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi have discussed the situation on the Korean peninsula in a phone call, Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. The two ministers also discussed the schedule of bilateral contacts.

China has warned North Korea and the US to stop the situation from reaching an “irreversible and unmanageable stage” as a US aircraft carrier group steams towards the region amid fears North Korea may conduct a sixth nuclear weapons test.

North Korea’s vice foreign minister has said that Pyongyang is ready to start a nuclear war “at any moment”.

Vice minister Han Song Ryol said in Pyongyang the country was ready to use its “powerful nuclear deterrent” if President Trump continues to provoke North Korea. He said: “We will go to war if they choose.

On April 13the GBU-43, also known as the "mother of all bombs," is a GPS-guided munitions and was first tested in March 2003.

It is regarded as particularly effective against clusters of targets on or just underneath the ground. Other types of bombs can be more effective against deeper, hardened tunnels. It was the first time the United States has used this size of conventional bomb in a conflict.

The US President hosted Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the White House on April 12 for a “productive discussion about what more Nato can do in the fight against terrorism”.

If Kim Jong-un were to attack the US, any retaliation would be backed by the 27 other Nato states under Article V of the North American Treaty.

After Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned that North Korea could fire a chemical weapon toward Japan, figures have revealed that Abe’s military scrambled a record number of fighter jets in the past 12 months amid sharply escalating tensions with China.

The Japanese Air Self Defense Force said fighter jets had been scrambled 1,168 times in the 12 months up to the end of March this year.

The overall figure is a sharp rise compared to the preceding 12 months when jets were deployed 873 times.