Pyongyang, Aug 6 (IANS): North Korea on Sunday slammed the fresh sanctions imposed on it by the UN Security Council and threatened to turn the US into an unimaginable sea of fire.

State-run daily Rodong Sinmun accused Washington and its allies of maintaining their hostile policy against the country, and stressed the need for Pyongyang to have nuclear weapons for its own defence, reports Efe news.

"The day the US dares tease our nation with a nuclear weapon and sanctions, the mainland US will be catapulted into an unimaginable sea of fire," the daily warned.

"The more the (US President Donald) Trump gang strives to break out of today's quagmire, the more our military and people get aroused, giving more reasons for the (North Korean) republic to own nuclear weapons," the article said.

"A strong war deterrence is an essential strategic choice of national defence for our people who went through a horrendous war," it added.

The sanctions adopted by the Security Council on Saturday increased the pressure on Kim Jong-un's regime to halt its missile programme by issuing sweeping embargoes on North Korean exports.

The fresh sanctions could wipe as much as $1 billion off North Korea's annual export revenue.