Asked about Iranian reference to a Japanese initiative for reviving the JCPOA, a U.S. diplomatic spokesperson said: “I am not aware of that specific initiative… As we’ve said before, we believe diplomacy is the best way to ensure that Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon”, while reaffirming: “Iran must take de-escalatory steps if it wants to reduce tensions and create a space for diplomacy. We have not yet seen indications, despite some of these public comments, that Iran is serious about addressing the concerns that we have, the concerns that other countries have about its nuclear program… In the last few weeks we’ve seen Iran take steps to undermine the International Atomic Energy Agency’s ability to do its work. So if Iran really is serious about taking de-escalatory steps, the first thing it could do would be to cooperate with the IAEA. We have not seen them fully do that”.