U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis said Monday that North Korea is the “most urgent and dangerous threat” to the world’s security and peace, in a written statement to the House Armed Services Committee.

“The most urgent and dangerous threat to peace and security is North Korea,” Mattis said. “North Korea’s continued pursuit of nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them has increased in pace and scope.”

“The regime’s nuclear weapons program is a clear and present danger to all, and the regime’s provocative actions, manifestly illegal under international law, have not abated despite United Nations’ censure and sanctions,” he added.