North Korea is threatening to launch a nuclear attack against the United States.

The warning comes just hours before the U.N. Security Council is scheduled to vote on a new round of sanctions against the outlaw regime.

A North Korean spokesman said Washington is trying to start a nuclear war and pledged to exercise its right to make a pre-emptive strike.

Over-heated rhetoric from Pyongyang is common, but there's been a lot more of it lately.

North Korea is angry over the threat of sanctions and upcoming joint American-South Korean military exercises.