Pentagon: U.S. ready to counter North Korean threat

U.S. Defense Secretary General James Mattis said that the country's military is "ready" to counter the threat from North Korea.

"My responsibility is to have military options if needed. We are ready," CNBC cited Mattis as saying.

When asked what options the U.S. has ready, Mattis declined to answer, saying instead, "I'm not going to tell the enemy what we're going to do."

He added that the U.S. effort to counter the nuclear missile ambitions of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is being "diplomatically led."