N Korea 'Handful of Months' Away from Capability to Attack US - Pompeo

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Mike Pompeo warned on Monday that North Korea's nuclear program is expanding and Kim Jong Un is just "a handful of months" away from being able to launch a strategic nuclear missile at the United States.

North Korea's nuclear ambitions are a serious risk to the United States, Pompeo told CBS News in an interview, adding that Kim Jong Un is only "a handful of months" from being able to strike the United States with a nuclear warhead.

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Pyongyang continues its drive to expand its nuclear weapons program focusing on capability and reliability, he said.

The situation on the Korean Peninsula grew particularly tense in 2017 as Pyongyang continued to pursue its nuclear and missile programs despite warnings of the international community. The UN Security Council imposed several rounds of sanctions on Pyongyang last year, in particular forbidding oil sales to North Korea and buying textiles from the country.