GENEVA - North Korea’s envoy to the U.N.-backed Conference on Disarmament has lashed out at the United States over its latest military exercises with South Korea, accusing Washington of “inciting military tension” by deploying powerful military hardware on the peninsula.

Ju Yong Chol’s comments came as recently improved ties between the Trump administration and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appears to be fraying over the exercises and four North Korean weapons launches in recent weeks.

Ju focused on the exercises and didn’t mention the weapons tests, including the firing of two presumed short-range ballistic missiles into the sea Tuesday.

“Although United States and South Korean authorities are playing every trick to justify this military exercise, they can neither conceal nor whitewash its aggressive nature in any manner,” he said.