ESCALATING

North Korea Warns U.S. of ‘Catastrophic Consequences’ After Navy Strike Group Deployment

Promises “catastrophic consequences” for deployment of U.S. Navy strike group.

North Korea has warned it will defend itself “by powerful force of arms” against the U.S. Navy, which has angered Pyongyang by deploying a strike group to the Korean Peninsula. North Korea’s foreign ministry on Monday railed against what it described as “reckless moves for invading,” saying the deployment of U.S. forces proves Pyongyang’s nuclear-weapons program is vital to the country. The USS Carl Vinson Strike Group, led by a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, was diverted from Singapore to the Pacific over the weekend in a move the U.S. Pacific Command says is meant to maintain readiness in the region amid escalating North Korean provocations. North Korea sees the deployment as preparations for an invasion, however. “We will hold the U.S. wholly accountable for the catastrophic consequences to be entailed by its outrageous actions,” the foreign ministry said in a statement quoted by state-run news agency KCNA. The statement also said North Korean forces are “ready to react to any mode of war desired by the U.S.”