North Korea's Kim Jong Un Celebrates Missile Launch, US Threatens Regime's Destruction

North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong Un was seen celebrating the brand new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in photos released by the country's state media Thursday. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump threatened to impose "major sanctions" against Pyongyang.

Trump's comments were followed by UN ambassador Nikki Haley saying the ballistic missile launch "brings us closer to war." While speaking at an emergency UN security council meeting, Haley said that the country's regime will be "utterly destroyed" if it started a war.

"The dictator of North Korea made a choice yesterday that brings the world closer to war, not farther from it," Haley said. "And if war comes, make no mistake, the North Korean regime will be utterly destroyed."

Haley urged all countries to cut ties with North Korea and said that Trump was in talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, over a complete cut-off of oil supplies to its longtime trading partner.

"That will be a pivotal step in the world efforts to stop this international pariah," Haley said.

Earlier Wednesday, North Korea declared that it is a "responsible nuclear power."

"After watching the successful launch of the new type ICBM Hwasong-15, Kim Jong Un declared with pride that now we have finally realized the great historic cause of completing the state nuclear force, the cause of building a rocket power," a statement read on state-run television in North Korea stated.

Referring to North Korea's declaration of its completion of "state nuclear force," Haley said that "the North Korean regime misses something very important."

"Being a nuclear power comes with certain standards. It comes with being responsible enough to know that you don't threaten other countries with nuclear weapons. You don't starve your own people in order to fund nuclear weapons. You don't bully or play games with nuclear weapons," Haley said. "(But) the regime has shown time and again that it doesn't wanna talk."

On Thursday, North Korea's state media released photos of the Hwasong-15 launch. The reclusive country claimed that its missile is capable of reaching the U.S. mainland.

"They wanted (to be able) to hit all of the U.S. and they wanted something big to hit it with," David Schmerler, a research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) told CNN. "This seems on the surface level to be that missile."