North Korea has rejected holding further talks on its nuclear standoff, saying the United States is responsible for the collapse of the negotiations.

In a speech before the U.N. General Assembly in New York Wednesday, the North’s Deputy Foreign Minister Choe Su-hon said that the nuclear discussions are not worth pursuing under the “groundless U.S. sanctions.” The sanctions were imposed shortly after a joint statement on the North’s nuclear issue was adopted at the last round of nuclear talks on September 19 of last year.

Claiming that Washington wants to rule the world, Choe said Pyongyang has developed nuclear weapons as a deterrent solely for self-defense against pre-emptive strikes by the U.S.

He added that Pyongyang wants, in principle, to hold talks, but that Washington's "vicious, hostile policy" have made negotiations unacceptable.

Choe also claimed the U.N. had taken an indifferent stance towards the infringement of sovereignty and massacre of civilians committed in the U.S. invasion of Iraq and Israel's aggression in Lebanon, saying such a stance represents examples of irresponsibility, unfairness and double-standards in the world body’s activities.