Story highlights "We have never sought war with North Korea, and still today we do not seek it," Haley said

"And if war comes, make no mistake, the North Korean regime will be utterly destroyed," she added

Washington (CNN) Members of the United Nations Security Council strongly condemned North Korea's successful launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile during an emergency meeting in New York on Wednesday, during which US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said the rogue regime's actions have brought the world "closer to war."

"The dictator of North Korea made a choice yesterday that brings the world closer to war, not farther from it," Haley said. "We have never sought war with North Korea, and still today we do not seek it. If war does come, it will be because of continued acts of aggression like we witnessed yesterday."

"And if war comes, make no mistake, the North Korean regime will be utterly destroyed," she added.

Haley requested the emergency meeting with her counterparts from South Korea and Japan shortly after North Korea's launch on Tuesday.

"Yesterday, the North Korean regime made a choice. It chose to feed its nuclear aggression. It chose to thumb its nose at the civilized world. It chose to challenge the patience of a world united against its recklessness," Haley said.

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