The United Nations’ latest sanctions on North Korea are an act of war, the country’s foreign ministry said on Sunday, and warned action against the countries that supported it, Reuters reported.

The United States is terrified by the nuclear force, North Korea’s official KCNA news agency quoted the foreign ministry as saying. The US was getting “more and more frenzied in the moves to impose the harshest-ever sanctions and pressure on our country”, the ministry said.

On Friday, the United Nations Security Council imposed new sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

The resolution includes a nearly 90% ban on refined products, which are key to North Korea’s economy. It also bans the export of food products, machinery, electrical equipment, earth and stones, wood and vessels from North Korea.

The sanctions said the country must repatriate North Koreans working abroad to earn revenue for Kim Jong-Un’s regime within 24 months. The resolution, however, did not include some harsher measures the United States government had asked for, such as freezing international assets of the country and its leader Kim Jong-Un.

This is the latest in a series of sanctions imposed on Pyongyang this year.

On Sunday, North Korea responded by saying, “We define this ‘sanctions resolution’ rigged up by the US and its followers as a grave infringement upon the sovereignty of our Republic, and of stability in the Korean peninsula.” It said it “categorically rejects the resolution”.

“Those countries that raised their hands in favour of this ‘sanctions resolution’ shall be held completely responsible for all the consequences to be caused...” North Korea said. “We will make sure for ever and ever that they pay heavy price for what they have done.”

On November 19, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country’s nuclear force was complete after North Korea tested its largest-ever Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile that it said puts all of the United States within range.