North Korea holds off Guam missile launches as Kim Jong-un calms tensions
(The Guardian North Korea)

Rare conciliatory message follows warning from James Mattis that sending missiles towards a US territory `could escalate into war very quickly´Kim Jong-un appeared on Tuesday to signal a pause in the escalating war of words with Donald Trump, saying he was prepared to watch US actions in the region `a little more` before ordering a planned launch of North Korean missiles aimed at the US territory of Guam. The North Korean leader was quoted by the state press agency KCNA after conducting a tour of the country´s missile command. But he warned he could still order a missile launch aimed at the seas around Guam if the US carried out further provocations. Related: In 1939, I didn´t hear war coming. Now its thundering approach can´t be ignored | Harry Leslie Smith What kind of anti-missile defences does the US possess? Related: Guam: life in the nuclear firing line - in pictures Guam, a 210 sq mile sovereign US territory in the western Pacific Ocean, is used by America as a strategic military base. Almost a third of its land is controlled by the US military and about 6,000 American troops are based there. Related: Japan fears the once distant threat of North Korean missiles is becoming real | Justin McCurry Continue reading...