WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- A senior U.S. official said here on Thursday that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) regards its nuclear weapon as deterrence, and may use it "only under certain narrow circumstances."
"Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions and proliferation behavior threaten to destabilize East Asia," U.S. Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair said in testimony to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
However, he noted that "Pyongyang probably views its nuclear weapons as being more for deterrence, international prestige, and coercive diplomacy than for war fighting and would consider using nuclear weapons only under certain narrow circumstances."
"We also assess Pyongyang probably would not attempt to use nuclear weapons against U.S. forces or territory unless it perceived the regime to be on the verge of military defeat and risked an irretrievable loss of control," he added.
Blair made the remarks when presenting the U.S. intelligence community's annual "threat assessment."
He also accused Pyongyang of having sold ballistic missiles and associated materials to Iran, and assisted Syria with the construction of a nuclear reactor.
"We remain concerned North Korea could again export nuclear technology," said the top U.S. intelligence official.
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