A White House official has reaffirmed that the United States remains open to dialogue with North Korea on a “wide range of topics without preconditions” regarding possible "interim steps" towards the North’s denuclearization.

Mira Rapp-Hooper, the National Security Council senior director for East Asia and Oceania, issued the position on Tuesday during a press briefing. 

Asked if the interim steps mentioned include a nuclear freeze and a limit on the number of missiles, the official said that interim steps are often being interpreted in terms of a strict arms control, suggesting that “interim steps” could have a broader interpretation.

The official added that Washington is open to talking about a wide range of topics with Pyongyang should the regime wish to talk about things that can make the Korean Peninsula and the Indo-Pacific safer, urging the North to come to the table and tell the U.S. what it wants to talk about. 

Early last month, the official said that Washington remains committed to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, but would consider "interim steps" on that pathway to denuclearization, sparking speculations about a possible shift in U.S. policy.