The State Department denounced Iranian legislation mandating the expansion of nuclear activities as “the regime’s latest ploy to use its nuclear program to try to intimidate the international community”, and asserted that “a reduction in Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA or enrichment to the 20 per cent level would constitute a serious escalation that moves Iran closer to the ability to obtain a nuclear weapon”. “The international community must not reward the regime’s dangerous gamesmanship with economic appeasement”, declared Secretary Pompeo, who added that “if the Iranian regime seeks sanctions relief and economic opportunity, then it must first demonstrate that it is serious about fundamentally changing its behaviour by ceasing its nuclear extortion and negotiating a comprehensive deal that addresses its development of ballistic missiles and its support for terrorism, unjust detention and other destabilising activities in the region”.