US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis has said that North Korea risks annihilation if it starts a war. He told Pyongyang yesterday that it must end its pursuit of nuclear weaponry.

Mattis said North Korea should avoid actions that could usher in the end of its regime and the destruction of its people.

The Pentagon chief also said Pyongyang would be “grossly overmatched” in a war against the US and its allies. His stark warning comes a day after President Donald Trump threatened North Korea with fire and fury.

Meanwhile, the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson assured Americans that there was no imminent threat from North Korea.