The US says N Korea recently tested parts of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system, in what it called a “serious escalation”. Pyongyang said the launches on 26 February and 4 March focused on developing a reconnaissance satellite. But the Pentagon now says the tests were experimental launches, before a likely full-range ICBM launch. With a minimum range of 5,500km (3,417 miles), ICBMs can reach the US. They are designed for nuclear arms delivery. On Thursday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said North Korea’s two tests “involved a new intercontinental ballistic missile system”. Neither launch displayed ICBM range or capability, but the tests were carried out “to evaluate this new system before conducting a test at full range in the future, potentially disguised as a space launch,” Mr Kirby said. “The United States strongly condemns these launches, which are a brazen violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, needlessly raise tensions and risk destabilising the security situation in the region.”(BBC)…[+]