Antione Bondaz, a specialist on north-eastern Asia, told Le Monde Kim Jong-un’s latest test is proof Pyongyang is “ready” to strike the US.
Mr Bondaz said: “North Korea is sending a strong message: it wants Washington to know that it can make as many nuclear weapons as it wants and is ready to strike.
“But we need to be realistic… Sunday’s nuclear bomb was so powerful it triggered an earthquake, yes, but there is no evidence that North Korea can, at this stage, mount it on a ballistic missile and hit the US.”
Mr Bondaz warned despite the looming danger of an attack, threatening North Korea with a massive military response, as Mr Trump has done more than once, is “counterproductive” because threats reinforce the isolated regime’s claim that it is a victim of American aggression.
He said: “Threatening to wipe North Korea off the map only serves to legitimise its nuclear weapons programme and pushes the regime to expand its nuclear arsenal. It’s counterproductive. The nuclear and missile tests are, according to North Korea, self-defensive steps against a US threat of nuclear war.
“But Mr Trump’s threats fall largely on deaf ears and are used as fuel for propaganda.”
However, tough sanctions alone will not convince North Korea to completely de-nuclearise, Mr Bondaz added.
He said: “UN sanctions force the international community to put on a united front in the face of Pyongyang’s increasingly provocative behaviour and help curb the regime’s weapons programmes.
But sanctions alone are not enough.
“As far as North Korea is concerned, the strategic benefits of their programmes outweigh the cost of the sanctions.”
There are “no good options” for North Korea and no clear solution to the crisis, the Asia expert concluded, before adding that the European Union could play an important third party role in helping de-escalate hostilities between Pyongyang and Washington.
“The EU has a key role to play in ending the crisis. First, all EU countries must enforce the latest round of UN sanctions and urge their African and Middle Eastern allies to follow suit. The EU must remain credible if it is to act as a mediator and help prevent a nuclear war with North Korea,” he said.
The US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said during an emergency UN Security Council meeting on Monday that North Korea was “begging for war” and urged the 15-member council to impose “the strongest possible” sanctions on North Korea over its sixth nuclear test.
“Enough is enough. Only the strongest sanctions will enable us to resolve this problem through diplomacy,” she said.