The secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, asserted that "we're very hopeful that we can find a way to move forward, but it's going to require enormous change on the part of the Iranian regime". He went on to say that "these folks are bad actors and the president is determined to change their direction... we're happy to talk if there's an arrangement that is appropriate that can lead to a good outcome. Perhaps that'll be the path the Iranians choose to move down. But there's no evidence to date of their desire to change and behave in a more normal way". Pompeo added that "we're going to enforce these sanctions", and called for "the Iranian people to have a strong voice in who their leadership will be".