The White House has denied North Korea's claim that U.S. President Donald Trump had declared war on the country, calling the claim "absurd."
 
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said during a news briefing on Monday that the U.S. has not declared war on North Korea.
 
[Sound bite: White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders]
"We've not declared war on North Korea and frankly the suggestion of that is absurd." 
 
Speaking to reporters earlier in the day in New York, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho said that Trump declared war against his country by tweeting on Saturday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un won't be around much longer.
 
Ri also said Pyongyang would defend itself by shooting down American bombers even if they fly in international airspace.
 
Sanders said that it's never appropriate for a country to shoot down another country's aircraft when it's over international waters.
 
[Sound bite: White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders]
"It's never appropriate for a country to shoot down another country's aircraft when it's over international waters. Our goal is still the same. We continue to seek the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. That's our focus. Doing that through both the most maximum economic and diplomatic pressures is possible at this point."
 
The U.S. State Department also stressed that no country holds the right to shoot down another country's aircraft or vessel in international space. 
 
The Pentagon warned that if North Korea does not stop its provocative actions, it will provide options to the president to deal with North Korea.

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