Washington--The United States on Wednesday dismissed a claim by North Korea to have developed the ability to miniaturize nuclear warheads, but voiced concern Pyongyang was developing long-range missiles.
"Our assessment of North Korea's nuclear capabilities has not changed. We do not think that they have that capacity" to miniaturize weapons, a National Security Council (NSC) spokesman told AFP.
North Korea ramped up its nuclear threats on Wednesday, boasting it had mastered the ability to deliver miniaturized warheads on high-precision long-range rockets.
Reducing the size of a nuclear warhead to the point where it can fit on a missile would be a major leap forward in establishing a genuine deterrent, and Pyongyang has claimed progress with miniaturization before.
The NSC spokesman agreed Pyongyang was "working on developing a number of long-range missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, that could eventually threaten our allies and the homeland."
"That is why the administration is working to improve regional and homeland missile defenses and continuing to work with the other members of the six-party talks to bring North Korea back into compliance with its nonproliferation commitments."
AFP
