'This proves the US imperialists are nuclear war maniacs': World holds its breath as Kim and Trump are locked in extraordinary standoff after US President vows 'fire and fury' and puts on show of air strength from threatened US base in Guam

  • Two U.S. Air Force B-1B bombers from Guam military base took part in 10-hour mission over Korean peninsula
  • Hours later, North Korea warned it was 'carefully examining' plans to make 'an enveloping fire' around Guam
  • Trump had earlier said any threat to the U.S. would be met with 'fire and fury like the world has never seen'
  • This morning North Korea said the training mission 'proves that the U.S. imperialists are nuclear war maniacs'
  • Guam's governor has said that the White House has reassured the island that 'America will be defended' 
  • Pyongyang previously said U.S. would 'pay dearly' for UN sanctions it successfully imposed over the weekend
  • US officials believe Kim Jong-Un has built a miniaturized warhead for its missiles and that he now has 60 nuclear weapons in his arsenal

America has offered a taste of Donald Trump's 'fire and fury' after releasing pictures of supersonic B-1B bombers flying out from the Guam Air Force base that Kim Jong-un has threatened to strike with missiles.

The mission took place hours before North Korea revealed it was 'carefully examining' plans to make 'an enveloping fire' around the U.S. territory, which is home to about 163,000 people and a sprawling military base. 

Pyongyang's warning came after President Donald Trump told the country that any threat to the U.S. would be met with 'fire and fury like the world has never seen.'

Officials later released images of two U.S. Air Force B-1B bombers from the military base in Guam taking part in a strategic bilateral mission with South Korea and Japan.

During a ten-hour mission on Monday, the aircraft flew from Guam's Andersen Air Force Base towards Kyushu, Japan, the East China Sea, and the Korean peninsula.

North Korea said the exercise 'proves that the U.S. imperialists are nuclear war maniacs' while officials in Guam say they have been reassured by the White House that 'America will be defended.'

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Two U.S. Air Force B-1B bombers from Guam's military base  participated in a strategic bilaterial mission with South Korea and Japan hours before North Korea threatened to strike Guam. Pictured top left and right are the two B-1B Lancer bombers and bottom left and center are Japan Self-Defense Forces F-2 fighter jets near Kyushu, Japan during the mission

Two U.S. Air Force B-1B bombers from Guam's military base participated in a strategic bilaterial mission with South Korea and Japan hours before North Korea threatened to strike Guam. Pictured top left and right are the two B-1B Lancer bombers and bottom left and center are Japan Self-Defense Forces F-2 fighter jets near Kyushu, Japan during the mission

The 10-hour mission from Guam's Andersen Air Force Base (above) took place on Monday and was the first for the aircraft and crews recently deployed from South Dakota's Ellsworth Air Force Base to support U.S. Pacific Command's Continuous Bomber Presence missions

The 10-hour mission from Guam's Andersen Air Force Base (above) took place on Monday and was the first for the aircraft and crews recently deployed from South Dakota's Ellsworth Air Force Base to support U.S. Pacific Command's Continuous Bomber Presence missions

'How we train is how we fight and the more we interface with our allies, the better prepared we are to fight tonight,' one of the pilots with the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron B-1 said. Pictured above is a B-1B Lancer bombers taking off for the mission

'How we train is how we fight and the more we interface with our allies, the better prepared we are to fight tonight,' one of the pilots with the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron B-1 said. Pictured above is a B-1B Lancer bombers taking off for the mission

The two bombers (above at take off) flew in the vicinity of Kyushu, Japan, the East China Sea, and the Korean peninsula. The U.S. released photos of the mission late Tuesday seemingly in response to North Korea's threat to strike Guam

The two bombers (above at take off) flew in the vicinity of Kyushu, Japan, the East China Sea, and the Korean peninsula. The U.S. released photos of the mission late Tuesday seemingly in response to North Korea's threat to strike Guam

The crews practiced intercept and formation training, which gave them an opportunity to improve their combined capabilities and tactical skills. Above a B-1B Lancer bomber is pictured during the mission

The crews practiced intercept and formation training, which gave them an opportunity to improve their combined capabilities and tactical skills. Above a B-1B Lancer bomber is pictured during the mission

Guam, which is known as  the “Tip of the Spear', is home to thousands of American service members and their families at both Andersen Air Force Base and Naval Base Guam

Guam, which is known as the 'Tip of the Spear', is home to thousands of American service members and their families at both Andersen Air Force Base and Naval Base Guam

The bomber mission was the first for the aircraft and crews recently deployed from South Dakota's Ellsworth Air Force Base to support U.S. Pacific Command's Continuous Bomber Presence missions, Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs stated. 

'How we train is how we fight and the more we interface with our allies, the better prepared we are to fight tonight,' one of the pilots with the 37th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron B-1 said.

The crews practiced intercept and formation training, which gave them an opportunity to improve their combined capabilities and tactical skills. 

'These flights with Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) demonstrate solidarity between Japan, ROK and the U.S. to defend against provocative and destabilizing actions in the Pacific theater,' according to a release from the Air Force. 

The U.S. released photos of the mission late on Tuesday - seemingly in response to North Korea's threat to strike Guam.

A spokesman for the Korean People's Army, in a statement carried by the North's state-run KCNA news agency, had said that its strike plan will be 'put into practice in a multi-current and consecutive way any moment' once leader Kim Jong Un makes a decision.

The remote island of Guam - a 210-square-mile dot 2,128 miles from North Korea in the Pacific - is a key US military outpost and home to some 6,000 US troops spread across facilities including the sprawling Anderson Air Force Base, as well as Naval Base Guam.  

Roughly 28 per cent of the island is occupied by the U.S. military. The base houses bomber assurance and deterrence missions, including six B-52s which the air force says provide 'strategic global strike capability [to] deter potential adversaries and provide reassurance to allies' and that they are ready to go.

Residents of the island expressed concern over North Korea's threat. 

'The threat is pretty scary,' Graceful Fiden, 28, of Tumon, Guam told USA Today. 'It's going on further, so we should worry about it. I believe in the military on Guam, together with the U.S.'

Guam Homeland Security and Civil Defense office issued a statement Wednesday morning saying they are working with military officials to 'continue to monitor the recent events surrounding North Korean and their threatening actions.'

North Korea said it is 'carefully examining' a plan to strike the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam with missiles. The strike plan will be 'put into practice in a multi-current and consecutive way any moment' once leader Kim Jong Un (file above) makes a decision

North Korea said it is 'carefully examining' a plan to strike the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam with missiles. The strike plan will be 'put into practice in a multi-current and consecutive way any moment' once leader Kim Jong Un (file above) makes a decision

That announcement came just hours after President Donald Trump (above on Tuesday) delivered his fiercest warning yet to North Korea Tuesday afternoon

That announcement came just hours after President Donald Trump (above on Tuesday) delivered his fiercest warning yet to North Korea Tuesday afternoon

'As of this morning, we have not changed our stance in confidence that the U.S. Department of Defense is monitoring this situation very closely and is maintaining a condition of readiness, daily,' stated George Charfauros, Homeland Security adviser.

'We will continue to keep the public updated on any changes or requests for action. For now, we advise the community to remain calm, remember that there are defenses in place for threats such as North Korea and to continue to remain prepared for all hazards.'

U.S. MILITARY BASES ON GUAM 

Guam, which is roughly 2,128 miles from North Korea, is home to both Andersen Air Force Base and Naval Base Guam. 

The two U.S. military bases house nuclear bombers and other key assets; they both fall under Joint Region Marianas.

Andersen Air Force Base is located on the north end of Guam, approximately 15 miles from the capital Agana. It is in the village of Yigo.

The base houses bomber assurance and deterrence missions, including six B-52s which the air force says provide 'strategic global strike capability [to] deter potential adversaries and provide reassurance to allies'. 

Naval Base Guam is located on the southwest side of the island and has four fast-attack nuclear submarines and an expeditionary helicopter squadron. 

Roughly 28 percent of the island is occupied by the U.S. military.  At least 6,000 U.S. troops are stationed there.

The release stated that there is no imminent threat to the safety of Guam's 160,000 residents and visitors of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).

In addition, Gov. Eddie Calvo said he had spoken to Joint Region Marianas Cmdr. Rear Admiral Shoshana Chatfield, who confirmed there was no immediate threat to Guam.

'My Homeland Security Advisor who is in communications with Homeland Security and Department of Defense notes that there is no change in threat level resulting from North Korea events,' Calvo said in a statement.

'Additionally, I have reached out to the White House this morning,' Calvo said. 

'An attack or threat to Guam is a threat or attack on the United States. They have said that America will be defended.'

Earlier Tuesday, in another statement citing a different military spokesman, North Korea also said it could carry out a pre-emptive operation if the U.S. showed signs of provocation.

Earlier Pyongyang said it was ready to give Washington a 'severe lesson' with its strategic nuclear force in response to any U.S. military action.

The statement from the North comes after Trump told the country's leader Tuesday that additional threats of violence against the U.S. 'will be met with fire and the fury like the world has never seen.' 

'He has been very threatening beyond a normal state, and as I said they will be met with the fire and fury and frankly power, the likes of which this world has never seen before,' Trump added in remarks at the top of an unrelated meeting.

He stopped just short of a firm promise to declare war on Kim's government if the dictatorship continues to talk about 'physical action' to the U.S.

Trump told the country's leader that additional threats of violence against the U.S. 'will be met with the fire and the fury like the world has never seen'

Comments from Trump came during a briefing on the opioid crisis on Tuesday at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster

Comments from Trump came during a briefing on the opioid crisis on Tuesday at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster

'North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States,' Trump cautioned after a reporter asked him about the nuclear standoff.

Trump told the world Tuesday morning that it must be vigilant against North Korea in the face of new threats from the country's young dictator.

Kim had warned the United States that it would pay 'pay dearly' for the United Nations sanctions regime it successfully imposed over the weekend and hinted at military action as tensions continued to escalate.

'Physical action will be taken mercilessly with the mobilization of all its national strength,' North Korea's state-run news agency said Tuesday.

The 33-year-old Kim was lashing out at a U.S. push to drain him of the hard currency he needs to develop his nuclear program that Russia and China reluctantly signed on to last weekend. 

The sanctions put a hard stop to a third of North Korea's export revenue - a deafening blow to the country's economy.

Trump celebrated the universal participation of Security Council countries in the sanctions with a tweet this morning that said, 'After many years of failure,countries are coming together to finally address the dangers posed by North Korea. We must be tough & decisive!' 

A Washington Post report on Tuesday suggested that North Korea had invented a miniaturized warhead that it has the capability of attaching to the intercontinental ballistic missiles its been testing.

A Washington Post report earlier in the day on Tuesday suggested that North Korea had invented a miniaturized warhead that it has the capability of attaching to the intercontinental ballistic missiles its been testing.

A Washington Post report earlier in the day on Tuesday suggested that North Korea had invented a miniaturized warhead that it has the capability of attaching to the intercontinental ballistic missiles its been testing.

The development brings the country dangerously close to its goal of creating of a nuclear weapon that can hit targets in the U.S. 

Alaska, Hawaii and California would be at an especially high risk if Kim's scientists finish the weapons and North Korea decides to use them.

Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) said on Tuesday that he is seriously worried about a possible North Korean missile strike on his state as well as the rest of the United States.

'There's concern, but there's also pride,' Sullivan said on Fox News's 'The Story' Tuesday. 'Alaska is the cornerstone of our nation's missile defense.'

He added that Alaska's missile defense battalion 'is literally protecting the country.'  

'The Alaska guard unit there calls themselves the 300, protecting the 300 million,' Sullivan said. 'So that's what they're doing now, protecting us.'

According to the report, US officials estimate that Kim now has 60 nuclear weapons in his possession. 

By comparison, the US is estimated to have more than 6,800 in its stockpile, and Russia is thought to have 7,000.

Trump stopped just short of a firm promise to declare war on Kim's government if the dictatorship continues to talk about 'physical action' to the U.S. during the meeting in New Jersey with Kellyanne Conway (left), HHS Secretary Tom Price, (second left), Melania Trump (second right) and the National Drug Control Policy Center's Richard Baum (right)

Trump stopped just short of a firm promise to declare war on Kim's government if the dictatorship continues to talk about 'physical action' to the U.S. during the meeting in New Jersey with Kellyanne Conway (left), HHS Secretary Tom Price, (second left), Melania Trump (second right) and the National Drug Control Policy Center's Richard Baum (right)

Former President Barack Obama's aide Dan Pfeiffer went after Trump's warning to North Korea on Tuesday. Pfeiffer tweeted, 'Don't gloss over the fact that Trump threatened what can only be interpreted as a nuclear attack on North Korea if Kim Jong Un taunts him.'

Former President Barack Obama's aide Dan Pfeiffer went after Trump's warning to North Korea on Tuesday. Pfeiffer tweeted, 'Don't gloss over the fact that Trump threatened what can only be interpreted as a nuclear attack on North Korea if Kim Jong Un taunts him.'

Shortly after Trump's morning message Tuesday, United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley appeared on Fox & Friends to deliver tough talk to North Korea and take a victory lap on sanctions.

'The United States will respond accordingly, and I think the international community will respond accordingly,' she said of the dangerous actions that Kim could take in response to the punishing actions.

It's up to North Korean leader to decide whether his response is, 'OK the international community is telling me to stop or he is going to have, you know, a temper tantrum,' she'd said.

Fox & Friends host Steve Doocy worried that Kim is rejecting the international mandate. 'It sounds like, we are getting closer to a shootin' war,' he told Haley.

'But we don't run scared,' Haley asserted. 'This had to happen, we had to go after his hard currency, we had to stop it.' 

'How he responds? He's now going to have to think what's the end game? Is he really going to come after the United States knowing what the United States can do back? He's gotta make that calculation,' the high-ranking U.S. diplomat assessed.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, 33, first warned that the United States would 'pay dearly' for the United Nations sanctions regime it successfully imposed over the weekend and hinted at 'physical action' as tensions continued to escalate

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, 33, first warned that the United States would 'pay dearly' for the United Nations sanctions regime it successfully imposed over the weekend and hinted at 'physical action' as tensions continued to escalate

Former President Barack Obama's aide Dan Pfeiffer went after Trump's warning to North Korea on Tuesday.  

Pfeiffer tweeted, 'Don't gloss over the fact that Trump threatened what can only be interpreted as a nuclear attack on North Korea if Kim Jong Un taunts him.'

On Monday, North Korea promised to 'teach the US a severe lesson' if it puts its military might to the test on the Korean Peninsula. 

'We will, under no circumstances, put the nukes and ballistic rockets on the negotiating table,' North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said, effectively declining to engage in talks about the nuclear program. 

State-run KCNA news agency meanwhile claimed that North Korea 'will make the US pay dearly for all the heinous crimes it commits against the state and people of this country.'

KCNA cautioned the U.S. against 'believing that its land is safe across the ocean' in what it described as a 'stern warning to the US.'

Tuesday it slapped the U.S. again, saying in a statement that appeared in the New York Times: 'Packs of wolves are coming in attack to strangle a nation...They should be mindful that the D.P.R.K.'s strategic steps accompanied by physical action will be taken mercilessly with the mobilization of all its national strength.'

Kim is fuming over a United Nations Security Council resolution that will cut a billion out of his $3 billion economy annually. The resolution bans North Korea exports of coal, iron, iron ore, lead, lead ore and seafood and blocks off other cash-rich avenues, including joint ventures. 

Shortly after the United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley appeared on Fox & Friends Tuesday to deliver to more tough talk to North Korea

Shortly after the United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley appeared on Fox & Friends Tuesday to deliver to more tough talk to North Korea

Naval Base Guam (file above) is located on the southwest side of the island. About one-third of the 210-square-mile island is occupied by the military

Naval Base Guam (file above) is located on the southwest side of the island. About one-third of the 210-square-mile island is occupied by the military

The U.S. pushed the resolution through the Security Council on Saturday with the aid of Russia and China, North Korea's largest trading partner. 

'Yes, China and Russia were not the easiest, but at the end of the day they came through, and that's all that matters,' Haley said this morning on Fox & Friends of the vote to put heavy penalties on North Korea over its continued nuclear tests.

China favors deconfliction with North Korea and denuclearization of the Korean peninsula but not the displacement of Kim. Beijing is concerned that a coup would put the country's stockpile of weapons in nefarious hands. 

It joined the U.S. and 13 other nations that sit on the Security Council in approving new sanctions on North Korea, a nation with whom it shares a border, after Washington threatened to restrict access to its financial institutions last week.

North Korea's ramped up missile tests since Trump took office has the United States pursuing aggressive measures in the region, including Chinese sanctions.

Military action remains on the table, as well, sparking fears internationally that the conflict will result in war.

The Trump administration's attempts to pressure North Korea into abandoning its nuclear and missile ambitions have so far gained little traction.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has warned of an 'effective and overwhelming' response against North Korea if it chose to use nuclear weapons but has said any military solution would be 'tragic on an unbelievable scale.'

Of the North Korea threat, Guam Gov. Eddie Calvo (above) said he had spoken to Joint Region Marianas Cmdr. Rear Admiral Shoshana Chatfield, who confirmed there was no immediate threat to the island on Wednesday morning

Of the North Korea threat, Guam Gov. Eddie Calvo (above) said he had spoken to Joint Region Marianas Cmdr. Rear Admiral Shoshana Chatfield, who confirmed there was no immediate threat to the island on Wednesday morning

The United States has 28,500 troops in South Korea to guard against the North Korean threat. Japan hosts around 54,000 U.S. military personnel, the U.S. Department of Defense says, and tens of thousands of Americans work in both countries.

Seoul is home to a population of roughly 10 million, within range of massed pre-targeted North Korean rockets and artillery, which would be impossible to destroy in a first U.S. strike.

A rising number of Republicans - 48 percent - want Trump to go that route. That's a jump from 37 percent in an April CBS News poll.

A majority of Americans are fearful that Trump is not equipped to go to battle with Kim, though. In the CBS survey, 61 percent of voters expressed doubts.

Most do not think North Korea will actually try to strike the U.S. with one of the intercontinental ballistic missiles it's been testing, however. 

Nearly seven in 10 Americans think Kim is using the nuclear program to gain power and influence.

STATEMENT FROM GUAM GOV. EDDIE BAZA CALVO

 Good morning my dear people of Guam,

I know we woke up to media reports of North Korea's talk of revenge on the United States and this so-called new-found technology that allows them to target Guam.

I am working with Homeland Security, the Rear Admiral, and the United States to ensure our safety.

I want to reassure the people of Guam that currently there is no threat to our island or the Marianas. I spoke to Joint Region Marianas Commander Rear Admiral Shoshana Chatfield who confirmed this with me.

My Homeland Security Advisor who is in communications with Homeland Security and Department of Defense notes that there is no change in threat level resulting from North Korea events. HSA George Charfauros reminds us that there are several levels of defense all strategically placed to protect our island and our nation.

Additionally, I have reached out to the White House this morning. An attack or threat to Guam is a threat or attack on the United States. They have said that America will be defended.

I also want to remind national media that Guam is American soil and we have 200,000 Americans in Guam and the Marianas. We are not just a military installation.

With that said, I want to ensure that we are prepared for any eventuality. I will be convening the Unified Coordination Group, which includes myself and the Rear Admiral, to discuss the state of readiness of our military and our local first responders.

My office will continue to provide information to our community. What information we are given, we will pass it on to you.

God Bless the people of Guam and God Bless The United States of America.

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