North Korea has described itself as a "proud nuclear power" and threatened to hit back if attacked, as the United States tracked one of its ships on suspicion it is carrying a banned weapons cargo.
Rodong Sinmun, newspaper of the ruling communist party, accused Washington of building up its regional firepower and denounced "reckless remarks" that US warships would stop and search its cargo vessels.
It is "nonsense" to claim that the North threatens the United States, the paper said, but reiterated recent vows not to surrender nuclear weapons.
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"As long as the DPRK (North Korea) has become a proud nuclear power, the US should take a correct look at who it is dealing with," Rodong said.
"It is a great mistake for the US to think it will not be hurt if it ignores this and ignites the fuse of war on the Korean peninsula."
