HONG KONG — North Korea has said it may fire missiles into waters near Guam, an American territory in the Western Pacific, escalating the standoff with the United States over the North’s nuclear program. Here are the questions raised by the threat.

What has North Korea said it would do?

North Korea said last week that it was fine-tuning plans to launch four intermediate-range ballistic missiles into waters 30 to 40 kilometers, or 19 to 25 miles, off Guam in what it said would be an “enveloping fire.” The military said at the time that it was waiting for a final order from Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea.

On Tuesday, state news media reported that Mr. Kim said he would watch American actions “a little more” before proceeding and praised his commanders for presenting him with “a close and careful plan.”

He made the remarks after a briefing by the command of the Strategic Force of the Korean People’s Army, which is responsible for missile launches. A photograph of the meeting featured a screen showing what appeared to be a satellite view of the American Air Force base on Guam.