Experts: North can’t strike U.S. cities

But that’s changing quickly, they warn

North Korea has made speedy advances in its nuclear weapons program, but the rogue nation probably can’t yet reach U.S. cities with nuclear-tipped missiles, analysts say.

North Korea tested its most powerful nuclear bomb to date on Sunday, triggering a fresh wave of concern about the country and its leader, Kim Jong Un.

It was North Korea’s sixth nuclear test, and Pyongyang claimed it detonated a hydrogen bomb, although that has not been confirmed by other nations.

Targeting a U.S. city requires a long-range missile that can carry a hefty payload and then survive re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.

“It’s too early to conclude” that North Korea can target mainland U.S. cities with significant nuclear weapons, said David Albright, an analyst at the Institute for Science and International Security. “There’s a lot of uncertainty.”

There’s little debate, however, that North Korea has made rapid headway in missile technology and weapons development.

North Korea has threatened Guam, a remote U.S. territory in the Pacific, and it remains an immediate threat to South Korea and other U.S. allies in the region. The North could reach them with conventional weapons and shorter-range missiles.

“I don’t think time is on our side here at all,” said Philip Coyle, an analyst at the Center for Arms Control and Non-proliferation, who remains skeptical that North Korea can target U.S. cities with large payloads.

“Are they there now? I don’t think so,” Coyle said. “But if we keep fooling around, they are going to get there.”