North Korea planning test of missile capable of reaching US: report

North Korea is planning to conduct a test launch of a missile that could potentially reach the U.S. mainland, Bloomberg reports.

Two Russian lawmakers who recently returned from North Korea told Bloomberg that North Korean officials are planning to launch a missile that could hit the West Coast of the United States.

“They told us that they’re preparing to test more powerful long-range missile that, in their view, would be able to hit the West Coast of the U.S.,” Anton Morozov, who is a member of Russia’s lower house of parliament, told the publication. 

However, Morozov said North Korean officials were not clear as to when the weapon would be tested. 

{mosads}“They’re not preparing for nuclear war,” another Russian member said, ominously adding “They’ve been ready for it for a long time.”

The potential North Korean threat to the U.S. could complicate things for Russia, because the missile would likely fly over Russian territory, posing a risk if the U.S. military were to intercept the missile. 

The international community is on alert after Pyongyang conducted a series of intercontinental ballistic missile tests this year. 

The report comes as rhetoric between Washington and Pyongyang has reached a boiling point in recent weeks, with President Trump threatening to “totally destroy” North Korea on the floor of the United Nations.

North Korea’s foreign minister threatened to test hydrogen bomb in the Pacific Ocean as a response to the president and said Trump’s tweets about his country amounted to a declaration of war. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin called for both nations to “lower the rhetoric” on Wednesday, according to Bloomberg, adding that Trump’s comments are leading toward a “very dangerous dead end.”