Secretary of State Rex Tillerson released a terse, 23 word statement on Tuesday responding to North Korea firing another ballistic missile into the sea off the Korean Peninsula.
"North Korea launched yet another intermediate range ballistic missile. The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment," Tillerson said.
The State Department sent out a tweet with part of Tillerson's statement.
Secretary Tillerson: The United States has spoken enough about North Korea. We have no further comment. https://t.co/ccVPjWTWdX
— Department of State (@StateDept) April 5, 2017
The ballistic missile test is the latest in a series of test firings that appears to be an attempt to provoke President Donald Trump before his two-day summit in Florida with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Tillerson's short statement left many reporters scratching their heads about his motives behind the statement and the point that he was trying to make, including CNN reporter Chris Cillizza who wrote that he was confused.
"That's a total of 23 words, if you're counting," Cillizza wrote. "Twenty-three words that leave you more confused when you get to the end of them than when you started. Is Tillerson trying to talk tough? Or is he refusing to give North Korea the attention he thinks they're trying to grab in advance of the US-China meeting? Somewhere in between? Neither? Both?"
"The clock has now run out, and all options are on the table," a senior White House official told reporters on Tuesday night ahead of Xi's visit. The official's statement echoes Trump's, who previously told the Financial Times that he was prepared to defeat North Korea's nuclear strategy with or without China's help.
"China has great influence over North Korea," Trump told the Financial Times. "And China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they won't ... If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will. That is all I am telling you."
Tillerson's statement may be trying to keep up with the tough talk that Trump has exhibited, CNN reported.
But, Tillerson is the country's top diplomat -- the person charged with finding solutions that go beyond simple rhetoric to these thorniest of foreign policy challenges. And his statement -- such as it is -- offers zero guidance as to what the US response will be.
Pyongyang wants Washington's acceptance as a nuclear power -- and to be dismissed in this way will be a blow, noted CNN's Paula Hancocks in Seoul.
And two senior US officials tell CNN's Barbara Starr that the message shouldn't be interpreted as provocative. Instead, they say, it's a signal the State Department will no longer put out routine statements after every North Korean provocation or missile launch.
South Korean experts seem to agree with this theory, as they believe that North Korea wants to draw attention with the ballistic missiles and use it as leverage in future concessions, the Associated Press reported.
"It seems Tillerson purposefully issued a short statement to send a tough signal," Kim Sung-han, a former South Korean deputy foreign minister said. "He is making it clear that, no matter what North Korea does, the United States won't commit to direct negotiations unless Pyongyang shows real willingness for disarmament."