Continuing months of war rhetoric, Defense Secretary James Mattis today warned North Korea risks a course of action that “would lead to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people.” He insisted North Korea needs to immediately “stand down.”

This comes in the context of President Trump yesterday threatening “fire and fury unlike the world has ever seen” against North Korea for its behavior. Trump followed that up today insisting America’s nuclear weapons are better than ever, and that they are the “most powerful nation in the world” and always will be no matter what.

Mattis, for his part, accused North Korea of being to blame for everything, demanding that the state “stop isolating itself,” as US officials continue to impose new sanctions and threaten a massive war against them.

North Korean officials have downplayed the situation, though their state media has suggested they are developing a plan that would involving attacking the US island of Guam, and raising the possibility of a “preemptive strike” on the US if they believe an attack is imminent.

The US, of course, has constantly threatened their own preemptive strikes against North Korea for years now, and those threats have only grown. This inevitably raises concerns that one side or the other is going to blink first and jump headlong into a calamitous war.