A former chairman of the Joint Chief of Staffs warned in an interview broadcast on Sunday that tensions with North Korea could quickly get "out of control."

"I'm really concerned, because I don't know where this goes in terms of a peaceful resolution," retired Adm. Mike Mullen said during an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press."

"It's an incredibly difficult, complex problem."

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Mullen also said there is some "very strong rhetoric" coming from both North Korea and the United States.

"And that rhetoric, it seems to me, has taken away options or its reduced maneuver space, if you will, for leaders to make decisions," he said.

"And if this results in a military strike, the unintended consequences of that, the possibility that there are disproportional responses, miscalculations. It can really get out of control fast."

The comments come after President Trump in recent days has intensified his rhetoric on North Korea.