The United States is asking that North Korea refrain from escalating tensions following a clash between South and North Korean naval vessels along their western sea border Tuesday.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the U.S. hopes there will be no further actions in the Yellow Sea that could be seen as an escalation.

Meanwhile, CNN quoted a senior State Department official as saying that the North is not likely to have intentionally caused the naval clash.

However, the Associated Press quoted a South Korean expert on North Korea as saying that Tuesday’s incident was an intentional provocation by North Korea to draw attention ahead of U.S. President Barack Obama's trip to Asia this week.

According to the expert, the North wants Obama’s attention on its request that the armistice agreement that ended the Korean War in 1953 be replaced with a permanent peace treaty.