The United States could consider "diplomacy" in its attempts to end the standoff with North Korea over the isolated country's nuclear arsenal, the White House said Wednesday.

"We have a clear objective as it relates to North Korea, which is denuclearizing the... Korean peninsula," Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.

"We're of course continuing to enforce sanctions. We're consulting with allies and partners. We are prepared to consider some form of diplomacy if it's going to lead us down the path toward denuclearization."

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