The level of threatening rhetoric over North Korea's nuclear stonewalling increased Tuesday, as the hard-line communist regime defiantly ruled out one possible compromise.
Secretary of State Warren Christopher rejected North Korea's declarations that imposing sanctions would be an act of war.
"I don't think we're going to be intimidated. . . . We've heard that kind of bellicose talk before."
He also indicated that the United States and its allies may impose their own sanctions if the United Nations balks.
U.N. Ambassador Madeleine Albright spent Tuesday sounding out the 15 Security Council members on sanctions. China is considered the member most likely to veto them.
The possible compromise blocked by North Korea entailed requests to inspect two nuclear waste sites. Yun Ho Jin, North Korea's delegate to the International Atomic Energy Agency, said it "will never allow inspections."
But U.S. officials maintained some hope, saying North Korea has backed off of Yun's statements before.
And Christopher hinted "there may be some other way suggested by North Korea."
North Korea told IAEA it carefully removed nuclear fuel rods to preserve "the technical possibility" of checking for diversion of nuclear material.
IAEA head Hans Blix, however, said Tuesday it is unlikely inspectors will "ever be able to assess" North Korea's weapons program because "the full picture cannot be discerned."
South Korea also added to the rhetoric: "At whatever cost, we will retaliate for North Korea's attempt to develop nuclear weapons," said Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hong Koo.
The New York Times reports today that U.S. officials think North Korea has material for four or five bombs.
