Following up on Tuesday’s statements from Vancouver that the US and allied nations want to ignore the North Korea diplomatic efforts with South Korea and pursue new sanctions, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson piled on with a threat of US military action against North Korea.

Tillerson’s position doesn’t make a lot of sense with all factors considered, suggesting the US goal is negotiations, and that the US would respond to North Korea’s refusal to negotiate with military force against them.

In reality, North Korea has repeatedly suggested negotiations in recent weeks, and been rebuffed every single time by the US. Tillerson is clearly aware of this, as every time he’s suggested talks, he too has been condemned by other Trump Administration officials.

The US position, as stated now, boils down to pretending diplomacy is not ongoing and threatening to start a massive war with North Korea to punish them for the lack of diplomacy, even though important bilateral talks are in fact ongoing and the only reason the US isn’t involved is that the US refuses to participate.

This makes the position increasingly puzzling and nonsensical, as the US keeps threatening war despite positive developments, presents diplomacy as an end-goal while spurning every opportunity to engage in it, and accusing North Korea of trying to “trick” people by offering talks at all.