President Donald Trump on Friday hinted there could be dire consequences if sanctions against North Korea don't work in stopping its nuclear missile buildup — with an outcome that could be "very, very unfortunate for the world."
At a joint news conference with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Trump was asked if "all options" were still on the table if sanctions against Pyongyang fail.
"If sanctions don't work, we'll have to go Phase Two," Trump said, adding that it "may be a very rough thing, maybe very, very unfortunate for the world."
"If we can make a deal, it will be a great thing," he said. "If we can't, something will have to happen."
Trump has long refused to take a military strike off the table, despite reported pushback from Defense Secretary James Mattis, the Washington Examiner noted.
Trump's strategy has focused heavily on encouraging China to use its influence in Pyongyang to pressure the regime into abandoning its nuclear weapons buildup.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.