North Korea has accused the United States of worsening the international situation by deploying nuclear assets on the Korean Peninsula, warning of an “overwhelming and decisive response” to any attempt to provoke a nuclear war.

Kim Kwang-myong, a researcher at the North’s foreign ministry’s disarmament and peace institute, issued the warning in an article carried by the North’s official Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday.

Kim took issue with a recent report by the U.S. House’s Strategic Posture Commission, which pointed out the dangers of the North’s development of nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Denouncing such talk of North Korean nuclear threats as deceptive, Kim criticized the U.S. for deliberately increasing tensions by deploying nuclear strategic assets in global hotspots, including Northeast Asia, and providing cutting-edge military equipment to its allies.

The researcher then warned that the North will respond with an overwhelming and decisive response strategy to arbitrary attempts by hostile forces to provoke a nuclear war, adding the regime, as a responsible nuclear state, will fulfill its mission to protect peace and security in the region and the world.