Trump to North Korea: Be very, very nervous

President Donald Trump has warned North Korea it should be "very, very nervous" if it does anything to the US.

He said the regime would be in trouble "like few nations have ever been" if they do not "get their act together".

His comments came after Pyongyang announced it had a plan to fire four missiles near the US territory of Guam.

US Defence Secretary James Mattis warned that armed conflict with North Korea would be "catastrophic" and said diplomacy was bearing fruit.

"The American effort is diplomatically led, it has diplomatic traction, it is gaining diplomatic results," he said.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said his country is fully prepared to join a war against North Korea, were it to launch an attack on the US.

"If there's an attack on the US, the Anzus Treaty would be invoked and Australia would come to the aid of the United States," he said in a radio interview, "as America would come to our aid if we were attacked."

Tensions have escalated in recent weeks after North Korea tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles in July.

The UN recently approved further economic sanctions against Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons programme.

President Trump also said he was close to revealing his keenly awaited decision on the number of troops he plans to keep in Afghanistan.

He said he had "taken over a mess", but was going to make it "a lot less messy".

Speaking on Thursday at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, Mr Trump suggested his own statements on North Korea had not been tough enough, despite his threat this week to rain "fire and fury" upon the regime.

North Korea has dismissed his dire warnings as "nonsense".
Media captionPresident Trump threatened a response 'like the world has never seen'

Mr Trump railed against previous US administrations for being too weak on North Korea and also chided the North's closest ally, China, saying it could do "a lot more".

He said: "I will tell you this, if North Korea does anything in terms of even thinking about attack of anybody that we love or we represent or our allies or us they can be very, very nervous.

"I'll tell you why… because things will happen to them like they never thought possible."

However, he added that the US would always consider negotiations.

He added: "I will tell you this, North Korea better get their act together or they're gonna be in trouble like few nations have ever been."

North Korea said on Wednesday it planned to fire medium-to-long-range rockets towards Guam, where US strategic bombers are based.

However, there has been no indication that any attack on the Pacific island is imminent.