Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he hasn’t yet been given a security briefing on the latest flexing of North Korea’s military muscle, but he is following the situation closely. As most Americans celebrated the Fourth of July, North Korea launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile. It flew for 39 minutes and — according to the North Koreans — precisely hit a target in the Sea of Japan. From what he’s been told, Grassley says the rocket is powerful enough to reach the U-S.
Grassley says the U-S response to the I-C-B-M launch has prompted an emergency gathering of top United Nations officials.
While North Korea is banned from firing such missiles under a U-N resolution, this marks that nation’s second launch this year and the sixth in the past 11 years. North Korea on Tuesday declared itself a “proud nuclear state.”
Until now, that action has been predominantly economic sanctions. Grassley says it’s possible China may be able to pressure North Korea to back away from its nuclear aspirations.
