North Korea says it will launch a preemptive nuclear strike against the United States to counter U.S. nuclear threats.

The North's state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper said on Wednesday that Pyongyang is ready to launch preemptive attacks against the U.S. at any time.

The paper strongly condemned U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, who recently said that the U.S. will modernize its nuclear arsenal to counter possible nuclear attacks by North Korea and Russia.

Pyongyang said that Washington’s move to seek nuclear modernization proves the legitimacy and necessity of the North’s nuclear development, claiming that pressure and threats from the U.S. will only push the North to enhance its nuclear deterrence.