North Korea’s vice foreign minister said Friday that the nuclear-armed country was prepared for war in the wake of reports about a possible preemptive strike against them.

“We will go to war — if they choose,” Vice Minister Han Song Ryol told the Associated Press in an interview published early Friday.

“If the US comes with reckless military maneuvers, then we will confront it with the [North Korea’s] pre-emptive strike.”

Han also blasted President Trump for “making trouble” with his “aggressive” tweets and said the North Korean military will conduct their nuclear tests whenever they like.

He added: “We’ve got a powerful nuclear deterrent already in our hands, and we certainly will not keep our arms crossed in the face of a US preemptive strike.”

North Korea’s strong comments came hours after NBC News reported that senior intelligence officials said Trump is prepared to launch a preemptive strike against the country if they prepare another nuclear weapons test.

The US had positioned a pair of destroyers in perfect striking distance from the Hermit Kingdom — just 300 miles away from their nuclear test site.

The ships are equipped with conventional weapons, such as Tomahawk cruise missiles, which were used in the surprise attack on Syria last week, the officials said.

The military also has American heavy bombers in Guam, which could attack the North Koreans if need be.

According to NBC, the strike would likely include both missiles and bombs, while also using of cyber and special operations on the ground.

The US intelligence officials told the outlet that even plans for such an assault could cause the already on-edge communist nation — which has so far conducted five nuclear weapons tests — to launch its own attack on South Korea or US ships in the region.

“The leadership in North Korea has shown absolutely no sign or interest in diplomacy or dialogue with any of the countries involved in this issue,” explained Victor Cha, Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

North Korea warned earlier this week that a “big event” would happen in the coming days, with many officials pointing to a possible nuclear weapons test this weekend.

Fox News national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin on Thursday night challenged the NBC report about a preemptive strike, saying defense sources had reached out and informed her it wasn’t true.

“Multiple sr defense officials say this report is ‘wildly wrong’ ‘crazy’ [sic],” she tweeted. “Pentagon pushing back on NBC report, call it ‘extremely dangerous.'”

When asked about the report, the Pentagon told Reuters that they were prohibited from discussing future operations, nor were they allowed to “publicly speculate on possible scenarios.”

“Commanders are always considering a full range of options to protect against any contingencies,” said spokesperson Dana White. “Our commitment to the defense of our allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, in the face of potential threats, remains steadfast.”

In a statement Thursday, North Korean officials vowed they would launch a “merciless retaliatory strike” against the US, should it take action against them.

“By relentlessly bringing in a number of strategic nuclear assets to the Korean peninsula, the US is gravely threatening the peace and safety and driving the situation to the brink of a nuclear war,” the statement read.

Trump tweeted Thursday that he would “properly deal with North Korea” on his own, in the event that China chooses not to help.

“If they are unable to do so, the U.S., with its allies, will! USA,” he wrote.

With Post Wires