North Korea this week denounced the UN Security Council’s condemnation of its recent missile launch, The Associated Press reported. A Monday statement from the country’s Foreign Ministry called the UN condemnation a “hostile act” that could lead to the “self-destruction” of the US. All 15 members of the Security Council, including North Korean ally China, released a joint statement Aug. 26 condemning four North Korean missile launches from July and August. The latest launch came just days after the commencement of Ulchi Freedom Guardian, the annual joint military exercise between the US and South Korea. The UN statement called the launches “grave violations” of international agreements on ballistic missile use. In response, Pyongyang warned that it “has substantial means capable of reducing aggression troops in the US mainland and the operational theater in the Pacific to ashes in a moment,” according to the AP. South Korea has said that the latest missile was launched from a submarine and flew about 310 miles. (See also: Provocation and Cooperation)
The U.S. military is sending more fighter jets to the Middle East to step up its war with Iran, adding to what is already the largest buildup of airpower in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. For now, the operation shows little sign of coming to a quick…