U.S.-based North Korea watchers have assessed that Pyongyang's recent series of missile launches are designed to put pressure on Washington, and that further provocations may occur.

Vipin Narang, a Political Science professor at MIT, tweeted on Tuesday that the launches of what he assess to be KN-23 short-range ballistic missiles Tuesday are part of a “maximum pressure” campaign the Kim Jong-un regime has launched following the no-deal summit in Hanoi.

Narang assessed that the provocations are aimed at developing and testing a new short-range missile that can incapacitate or out-maneuver missile defense systems.

Harry Kazianis, a senior director for Korea studies at the Washington-based think tank Center for the National Interest, also said on Twitter Tuesday that the North may further heighten the level of its provocations amid the ongoing U.S.-China trade war.

He tweeted that Kim "is feeling a little emboldened" that its staunchest ally, China, will not make concession to the U.S. over North Korean issues.