US imposes new sanctions connected to North Korea following spate of missile tests

By Michael Callahan, CNN

The US is imposing new sanctions following a spate of North Korean ballistic missile tests, the US Treasury and State Department announced on Friday.

The sanctions target two people and three entities “connected to the delivery of refined petroleum to the DPRK, an action which directly supports the development of DPRK weapons programs and its military,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Friday.

The sanctions include two Singapore registered companies and an entity registered in the Marshall Islands for “illicit ship-to-ship (STS) transfers to circumvent UN sanctions,” according to the Treasury Department.

“By designating these entities and individuals, the United States is sending a clear message that we will continue to take actions against those who support the development and sustainment of the DPRK’s military and weapons arsenal,” Blinken said in a statement.

North Korea has fired six missiles in the past two weeks — an uptick, even in a year that has seen the highest number of launches since leader Kim Jong Un took power in 2011.

The aggressive acceleration in weapons testing has sparked alarm in the region, with the US, South Korea and Japan responding with missile launches and joint military exercises this week. The US has also redeployed an aircraft carrier into waters near the peninsula, a move South Korean authorities called “very unusual.”

On Wednesday Blinken warned that if North Korea continues “down this road” of provocation “it will only increase the condemnation, increase the isolation and increase the steps that are taken in response to their actions.”

The recent tests have caused administration officials to grow concerned that Kim is set to oversee his nation’s seventh nuclear test.

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CNN’s Jessie Yeung and Ellie Kaufman contributed reporting.