Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has reaffirmed Washington's commitment to defend its South Korean ally, warning once more that any North Korean threat would trigger an "overwhelming" response, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

In a conversation with South Korea's Defense Minister Song Young-Moo Tuesday to address North Korea's latest and most powerful nuclear test to date, Mattis said the United States "remains ironclad in its commitment to the defense of" South Korea.

"He further emphasized that any threat to the United States, its territories, or its allies will be met with a massive, effective, and overwhelming military response," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the White House said President Donald Trump had spoken Tuesday with British Prime Minister Theresa May and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to discuss North Korea's latest nuclear test.

Trump and May agreed "that this latest reckless act only strengthens the world's determination to confront the growing North Korean threat," a White House read-out stated.

"President Trump reiterated that now is not the time to talk to North Korea, and made clear that all options remain open to defend the United States and its allies against North Korean aggression," the statement added.

The White House said it was working to increase diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea.

Washington's tough-talking ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, is expected to unveil yet another new UN sanctions package targeting Kim Jong-Un's regime this week.

In the call to Turnbull, Trump "reaffirmed his commitment to defending the homeland, territories, and allies of the United States, using all available diplomatic and military capabilities."

Mattis's warning echoed comments he made Sunday, in which he stressed the United States was not "looking to the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea," before warning: "We have many options to do so."

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Haley: Nuke deal allows Iran to become new North Korea
Washington (AFP) Sept 5, 2017
Washington's ambassador to the United Nations warned Tuesday that, if left unchanged, the Iran nuclear deal could allow Tehran to pose the same kind of missile threat to US cities as North Korea. President Donald Trump is due to decide in the middle of next month whether he believes Iran is living up to its commitments or whether to seek new US sanctions that could torpedo the accord. Hi ... read more

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